used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She had taken it for granted that Gaga did nothing for a living.
perfect or complete or pure
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "That will do, Sally," said Madam, gravely and slowly nodding her head in dismissal.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She had been interested in the conversation.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading She had been interested in the conversation.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She had taken it for granted that Gaga did nothing for a living.
dismissalnounUS /dɪˈsmɪsəl/
a judgment disposing of the matter without a trial
From this reading "That will do, Sally," said Madam, gravely and slowly nodding her head in dismissal.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "That will do, Sally," said Madam, gravely and slowly nodding her head in dismissal.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
fertilisernoun
any substance such as manure or a mixture of nitrates used to make soil more fertile
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She had taken it for granted that Gaga did nothing for a living.
GagaadjectiveUS /ˈɡɑːɡʌ/
mentally or physically infirm with age
From this reading She had taken it for granted that Gaga did nothing for a living.
the act of departing
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading She had taken it for granted that Gaga did nothing for a living.
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading "That will do, Sally," said Madam, gravely and slowly nodding her head in dismissal.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had been interested in the conversation.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "That will do, Sally," said Madam, gravely and slowly nodding her head in dismissal.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "That will do, Sally," said Madam, gravely and slowly nodding her head in dismissal.
hesitatingadjectiveUS /ˈhezəteɪtɪŋ/
lacking decisiveness of character; unable to act or decide quickly or firmly
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "That will do, Sally," said Madam, gravely and slowly nodding her head in dismissal.
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading She had been interested in the conversation.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She had taken it for granted that Gaga did nothing for a living.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading She had taken it for granted that Gaga did nothing for a living.
a woman of refinement
From this reading "That will do, Sally," said Madam, gravely and slowly nodding her head in dismissal.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
the force of workers available
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
noddingadjectiveUS /ˈnɑːdɪŋ/
having branches or flower heads that bend downward
From this reading "That will do, Sally," said Madam, gravely and slowly nodding her head in dismissal.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading She had taken it for granted that Gaga did nothing for a living.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
opinionsnounUS /əˈpɪnjənz/
plural of “opinion” — a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading Sally went with regret.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "That will do, Sally," said Madam, gravely and slowly nodding her head in dismissal.
witty remark
From this reading "That will do, Sally," said Madam, gravely and slowly nodding her head in dismissal.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had been interested in the conversation.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading "That will do, Sally," said Madam, gravely and slowly nodding her head in dismissal.
express in speech
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
not in physical motion
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading She had taken it for granted that Gaga did nothing for a living.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That will do, Sally," said Madam, gravely and slowly nodding her head in dismissal.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She had been interested in the conversation.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
valuedadjectiveUS /ˈvæljuːd/
(usually used in combination) having value of a specified kind
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Sally went with regret.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
belonging to which person
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "That will do, Sally," said Madam, gravely and slowly nodding her head in dismissal.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Sally went with regret.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Now he talked of going to an office, and of two men whose opinions he evidently valued, and of fertiliser; and although his words and his manner were still those of a hesitating man he did not speak as an absolute fool.
