used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
any person at all
From this reading She could not have spoken to anyone when she was out, for she had been in the company of the bridegroom.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading What could that something be?
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
bridegroomnounUS /ˈbraɪdɡruːm/
a man who has recently been married
From this reading She could not have spoken to anyone when she was out, for she had been in the company of the bridegroom.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading Obviously something had occurred during the morning, then, to cause her to change her mind.
a formal event performed on a special occasion
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading Obviously something had occurred during the morning, then, to cause her to change her mind.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading She could not have spoken to anyone when she was out, for she had been in the company of the bridegroom.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading What could that something be?
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading Obviously something had occurred during the morning, then, to cause her to change her mind.
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She could not have spoken to anyone when she was out, for she had been in the company of the bridegroom.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading She could not have spoken to anyone when she was out, for she had been in the company of the bridegroom.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Obviously something had occurred during the morning, then, to cause her to change her mind.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She could not have spoken to anyone when she was out, for she had been in the company of the bridegroom.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Obviously something had occurred during the morning, then, to cause her to change her mind.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Obviously something had occurred during the morning, then, to cause her to change her mind.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She could not have spoken to anyone when she was out, for she had been in the company of the bridegroom.
obviousadjectiveUS /ˈɑːbviəs/
easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
ObviouslyadverbUS /ˈɑːbviəsli/
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Obviously something had occurred during the morning, then, to cause her to change her mind.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading Obviously something had occurred during the morning, then, to cause her to change her mind.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading She could not have spoken to anyone when she was out, for she had been in the company of the bridegroom.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
repentedverbUS /rɪˈpentɪd/
past form of “repent” — turn away from sin or do penitence
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Had she seen someone, then?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
a person, without saying who
From this reading Had she seen someone, then?
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Obviously something had occurred during the morning, then, to cause her to change her mind.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading She could not have spoken to anyone when she was out, for she had been in the company of the bridegroom.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Obviously something had occurred during the morning, then, to cause her to change her mind.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
undergoverbUS /ˌʌndərˈɡoʊ/
pass through
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
precisely as stated
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She could not have spoken to anyone when she was out, for she had been in the company of the bridegroom.
the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What could that something be?
at the time that
From this reading She could not have spoken to anyone when she was out, for she had been in the company of the bridegroom.
disposed or inclined toward
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading “From the first, two facts were very obvious to me, the one that the lady had been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few minutes of returning home.