used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Richard--which is name enough for a fairy story--was the son of a widow in Alice's village.
Alice
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alice would have despised him; but he never came near enough for that.
Alice's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Richard--which is name enough for a fairy story--was the son of a widow in Alice's village.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Now Richard had been saving up his few pence in order to buy an umbrella for his mother; for the winter would come, and the one she had was almost torn to ribands.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading His manners, therefore, were shy, and sufficiently awkward to give an unfavourable impression to those who looked at outsides.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
at or in or to any place
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
awkwardadjectiveUS /ˈɑːkwərd/
causing inconvenience
From this reading His manners, therefore, were shy, and sufficiently awkward to give an unfavourable impression to those who looked at outsides.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Now Richard had been saving up his few pence in order to buy an umbrella for his mother; for the winter would come, and the one she had was almost torn to ribands.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading Now Richard had been saving up his few pence in order to buy an umbrella for his mother; for the winter would come, and the one she had was almost torn to ribands.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Alice would have despised him; but he never came near enough for that.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Now Richard had been saving up his few pence in order to buy an umbrella for his mother; for the winter would come, and the one she had was almost torn to ribands.
despisedadjectiveUS /dɪˈspaɪzd/
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading Alice would have despised him; but he never came near enough for that.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Richard--which is name enough for a fairy story--was the son of a widow in Alice's village.
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading Richard--which is name enough for a fairy story--was the son of a widow in Alice's village.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Now Richard had been saving up his few pence in order to buy an umbrella for his mother; for the winter would come, and the one she had was almost torn to ribands.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Richard--which is name enough for a fairy story--was the son of a widow in Alice's village.
usually; as a rule
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading His manners, therefore, were shy, and sufficiently awkward to give an unfavourable impression to those who looked at outsides.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Now Richard had been saving up his few pence in order to buy an umbrella for his mother; for the winter would come, and the one she had was almost torn to ribands.
only a very short time before
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Alice would have despised him; but he never came near enough for that.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Alice would have despised him; but he never came near enough for that.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading His manners, therefore, were shy, and sufficiently awkward to give an unfavourable impression to those who looked at outsides.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Richard--which is name enough for a fairy story--was the son of a widow in Alice's village.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Richard--which is name enough for a fairy story--was the son of a widow in Alice's village.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading His manners, therefore, were shy, and sufficiently awkward to give an unfavourable impression to those who looked at outsides.
social deportment
From this reading His manners, therefore, were shy, and sufficiently awkward to give an unfavourable impression to those who looked at outsides.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Richard--which is name enough for a fairy story--was the son of a widow in Alice's village.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Alice would have despised him; but he never came near enough for that.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Alice would have despised him; but he never came near enough for that.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now Richard had been saving up his few pence in order to buy an umbrella for his mother; for the winter would come, and the one she had was almost torn to ribands.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Richard--which is name enough for a fairy story--was the son of a widow in Alice's village.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Now Richard had been saving up his few pence in order to buy an umbrella for his mother; for the winter would come, and the one she had was almost torn to ribands.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading Now Richard had been saving up his few pence in order to buy an umbrella for his mother; for the winter would come, and the one she had was almost torn to ribands.
outsidesnounUS /ˈaʊtˈsaɪdz/
plural of “outside” — the region that is outside of something
From this reading His manners, therefore, were shy, and sufficiently awkward to give an unfavourable impression to those who looked at outsides.
pencenounUS /pens/
plural of “penny” — a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading Now Richard had been saving up his few pence in order to buy an umbrella for his mother; for the winter would come, and the one she had was almost torn to ribands.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
ribands
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now Richard had been saving up his few pence in order to buy an umbrella for his mother; for the winter would come, and the one she had was almost torn to ribands.
Richard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Richard--which is name enough for a fairy story--was the son of a widow in Alice's village.
savingnounUS /ˈseɪvɪŋ/
an act of economizing; reduction in cost
From this reading Now Richard had been saving up his few pence in order to buy an umbrella for his mother; for the winter would come, and the one she had was almost torn to ribands.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now Richard had been saving up his few pence in order to buy an umbrella for his mother; for the winter would come, and the one she had was almost torn to ribands.
shyverbUS /ʃaɪ/
start suddenly, as from fright
From this reading His manners, therefore, were shy, and sufficiently awkward to give an unfavourable impression to those who looked at outsides.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
a male human offspring
From this reading Richard--which is name enough for a fairy story--was the son of a widow in Alice's village.
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 Richard--which is name enough for a fairy story--was the son of a widow in Alice's village.
to a sufficient degree
From this reading His manners, therefore, were shy, and sufficiently awkward to give an unfavourable impression to those who looked at outsides.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Richard--which is name enough for a fairy story--was the son of a widow in Alice's village.
for that reason; as a result
From this reading His manners, therefore, were shy, and sufficiently awkward to give an unfavourable impression to those who looked at outsides.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading His manners, therefore, were shy, and sufficiently awkward to give an unfavourable impression to those who looked at outsides.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His manners, therefore, were shy, and sufficiently awkward to give an unfavourable impression to those who looked at outsides.
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading Now Richard had been saving up his few pence in order to buy an umbrella for his mother; for the winter would come, and the one she had was almost torn to ribands.
umbrellanounUS /əmˈbrelə/
a lightweight handheld collapsible canopy
From this reading Now Richard had been saving up his few pence in order to buy an umbrella for his mother; for the winter would come, and the one she had was almost torn to ribands.
unfavourableadjective
not encouraging or approving or pleasing
From this reading His manners, therefore, were shy, and sufficiently awkward to give an unfavourable impression to those who looked at outsides.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Now Richard had been saving up his few pence in order to buy an umbrella for his mother; for the winter would come, and the one she had was almost torn to ribands.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading Richard--which is name enough for a fairy story--was the son of a widow in Alice's village.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Richard--which is name enough for a fairy story--was the son of a widow in Alice's village.
accept gladly
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He was so poor that he did not find himself generally welcome; so he hardly went anywhere, but read books at home, and waited upon his mother.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His manners, therefore, were shy, and sufficiently awkward to give an unfavourable impression to those who looked at outsides.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Richard--which is name enough for a fairy story--was the son of a widow in Alice's village.
which person or people
From this reading His manners, therefore, were shy, and sufficiently awkward to give an unfavourable impression to those who looked at outsides.
a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
From this reading Richard--which is name enough for a fairy story--was the son of a widow in Alice's village.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading Now Richard had been saving up his few pence in order to buy an umbrella for his mother; for the winter would come, and the one she had was almost torn to ribands.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Alice would have despised him; but he never came near enough for that.
