used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
(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 There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
barnnounUS /bɑːrn/
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading CHORUS BY THE BIRDS Swallows were perching on the same telegraph wires where they had met in May.
the two together, not just one
From this reading There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading CHORUS BY THE BIRDS Swallows were perching on the same telegraph wires where they had met in May.
chatverbUS /tʃæt/
talk socially without exchanging too much information
From this reading There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
CHORUSnounUS /ˈkɔːrəs/
any utterance produced simultaneously by a group
From this reading CHORUS BY THE BIRDS Swallows were perching on the same telegraph wires where they had met in May.
past form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
ExcellentlyadverbUS /ˈeksələntli/
extremely well
From this reading "Excellently well!
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading CHORUS BY THE BIRDS Swallows were perching on the same telegraph wires where they had met in May.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading CHORUS BY THE BIRDS Swallows were perching on the same telegraph wires where they had met in May.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Now it was September.
plural of “kind” — a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
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 There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading CHORUS BY THE BIRDS Swallows were perching on the same telegraph wires where they had met in May.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading CHORUS BY THE BIRDS Swallows were perching on the same telegraph wires where they had met in May.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now it was September.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading CHORUS BY THE BIRDS Swallows were perching on the same telegraph wires where they had met in May.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
perching
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CHORUS BY THE BIRDS Swallows were perching on the same telegraph wires where they had met in May.
Identical; not different.
From this reading CHORUS BY THE BIRDS Swallows were perching on the same telegraph wires where they had met in May.
SeptembernounUS /sepˈtembər/
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading Now it was September.
sharp-tailed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
SwallowverbUS /ˈswɑːloʊ/
pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
SwallowsnounUS /ˈswɑːloʊz/
plural of “swallow” — a small amount of liquid food
From this reading CHORUS BY THE BIRDS Swallows were perching on the same telegraph wires where they had met in May.
telegraphnounUS /ˈteləɡræf/
apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire (usually in Morse code)
From this reading CHORUS BY THE BIRDS Swallows were perching on the same telegraph wires where they had met in May.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading CHORUS BY THE BIRDS Swallows were perching on the same telegraph wires where they had met in May.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading CHORUS BY THE BIRDS Swallows were perching on the same telegraph wires where they had met in May.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now it was September.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
(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 "Excellently well!
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading CHORUS BY THE BIRDS Swallows were perching on the same telegraph wires where they had met in May.
in or at the place that
From this reading CHORUS BY THE BIRDS Swallows were perching on the same telegraph wires where they had met in May.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
wiresnounUS /ˈwaɪərz/
plural of “wire” — ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading CHORUS BY THE BIRDS Swallows were perching on the same telegraph wires where they had met in May.
in the company of; together with
From this reading There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "In a few weeks we must be off--how have you enjoyed the summer?" asked the Bank Swallow of his sharp-tailed brother from the barn.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and young, with whom a great many other birds stopped for a little chat.
