adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Some one must have been very kind, for there were doctors, and a blue-and-white striped nurse, and bottles and things.
appearverbUS /əˈpɪr/
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The discovery did not appear to surprise me.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Some one must have been very kind, for there were doctors, and a blue-and-white striped nurse, and bottles and things.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
blue-and-white
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some one must have been very kind, for there were doctors, and a blue-and-white striped nurse, and bottles and things.
boarding-house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
bottlesnounUS /ˈbɑːtəlz/
plural of “bottle” — a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
From this reading Some one must have been very kind, for there were doctors, and a blue-and-white striped nurse, and bottles and things.
carnationsnounUS /kɑːrˈneɪʃənz/
plural of “carnation” — Eurasian plant with pink to purple-red spice-scented usually double flowers; widely cultivated in many varieties and many colors
From this reading There was even a vase of perky carnations—scarlet ones.
dearestnounUS /ˈdɪrəst/
a beloved person; used as terms of endearment
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The discovery did not appear to surprise me.
discoveredadjectiveUS /dɪˈskʌvərd/
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading I discovered that they had a trick of nodding their heads, saucily.
discoverynounUS /dɪˈskʌvəri/
the act of discovering something
From this reading The discovery did not appear to surprise me.
doctorsnounUS /ˈdɑːktərz/
plural of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading Some one must have been very kind, for there were doctors, and a blue-and-white striped nurse, and bottles and things.
evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/
divisible by two
From this reading There was even a vase of perky carnations—scarlet ones.
far-away
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Some one must have been very kind, for there were doctors, and a blue-and-white striped nurse, and bottles and things.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I discovered that they had a trick of nodding their heads, saucily.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Some one must have been very kind, for there were doctors, and a blue-and-white striped nurse, and bottles and things.
headsnounUS /hedz/
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading I discovered that they had a trick of nodding their heads, saucily.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I discovered that they had a trick of nodding their heads, saucily.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
kindadjectiveUS /kaɪnd/
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading Some one must have been very kind, for there were doctors, and a blue-and-white striped nurse, and bottles and things.
marriedadjectiveUS /ˈmerid/
joined in matrimony
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The discovery did not appear to surprise me.
MichigannounUS /ˈmɪʃɪɡən/
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Some one must have been very kind, for there were doctors, and a blue-and-white striped nurse, and bottles and things.
nearestadverbUS /ˈnɪrəst/
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
NewadjectiveUS /nuː/
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
noddingadjectiveUS /ˈnɑːdɪŋ/
having branches or flower heads that bend downward
From this reading I discovered that they had a trick of nodding their heads, saucily.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The discovery did not appear to surprise me.
numbernounUS /ˈnʌmbər/
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
nurseverbUS /nɜːrs/
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading Some one must have been very kind, for there were doctors, and a blue-and-white striped nurse, and bottles and things.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Some one must have been very kind, for there were doctors, and a blue-and-white striped nurse, and bottles and things.
one's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
onesnounUS /wʌnz/
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading There was even a vase of perky carnations—scarlet ones.
perkyadjectiveUS /ˈpɜːrki/
characterized by liveliness and lightheartedness
From this reading There was even a vase of perky carnations—scarlet ones.
pleasanter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
saucilyadverb
in an impudent or impertinent manner
From this reading I discovered that they had a trick of nodding their heads, saucily.
scarletnounUS /ˈskɑːrlət/
a variable color that is vivid red but sometimes with an orange tinge
From this reading There was even a vase of perky carnations—scarlet ones.
sickadjectiveUS /sɪk/
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
sisternounUS /ˈsɪstər/
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
SomeadjectiveUS /sʌm/
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some one must have been very kind, for there were doctors, and a blue-and-white striped nurse, and bottles and things.
stripedadjectiveUS /straɪpt/
marked or decorated with stripes
From this reading Some one must have been very kind, for there were doctors, and a blue-and-white striped nurse, and bottles and things.
surprisenounUS /sərˈpraɪz/
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading The discovery did not appear to surprise me.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The discovery did not appear to surprise me.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading I discovered that they had a trick of nodding their heads, saucily.
ThereadverbUS /ðer/
in or at that place or location
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I discovered that they had a trick of nodding their heads, saucily.
thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The discovery did not appear to surprise me.
tricknounUS /trɪk/
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading I discovered that they had a trick of nodding their heads, saucily.
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
vasenounUS /veɪs/
an open jar of glass or porcelain used as an ornament or to hold flowers
From this reading There was even a vase of perky carnations—scarlet ones.
veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/
precisely as stated
From this reading Some one must have been very kind, for there were doctors, and a blue-and-white striped nurse, and bottles and things.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was even a vase of perky carnations—scarlet ones.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Some one must have been very kind, for there were doctors, and a blue-and-white striped nurse, and bottles and things.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
YorknounUS /jɔːrk/
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading There are a number of things that are pleasanter than being sick in a New York boarding-house when one’s nearest dearest is a married sister up in far-away Michigan.
