used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I shall soon be a skeleton, The worms are wriggling away; They have had such glorious fun, They will fertilize my clay.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I shall soon be a skeleton, The worms are wriggling away; They have had such glorious fun, They will fertilize my clay.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The worms are wriggling away, They are what I have been; They will fertilize my clay; The grass will grow more green.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I shall change, but what of that?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading I shall change, but what of that?
claynounUS /kleɪ/
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading I shall soon be a skeleton, The worms are wriggling away; They have had such glorious fun, They will fertilize my clay.
dwindlesverbUS /ˈdwɪndəlz/
third-person singular of “dwindle” — become smaller or lose substance
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
fertilizeverbUS /ˈfɜːrtəlaɪz/
provide with fertilizers or add nutrients to
From this reading I shall soon be a skeleton, The worms are wriggling away; They have had such glorious fun, They will fertilize my clay.
forbearverb
refrain from doing
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
having or deserving or conferring glory
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading The worms are wriggling away, They are what I have been; They will fertilize my clay; The grass will grow more green.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading The worms are wriggling away, They are what I have been; They will fertilize my clay; The grass will grow more green.
pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading The worms are wriggling away, They are what I have been; They will fertilize my clay; The grass will grow more green.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The worms are wriggling away, They are what I have been; They will fertilize my clay; The grass will grow more green.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I shall change, but what of that?
only a very short time before
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
skeletonnounUS /ˈskelətən/
something reduced to its minimal form
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
in the near future
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I shall change, but what of that?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The worms are wriggling away, They are what I have been; They will fertilize my clay; The grass will grow more green.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading My body dwindles the while, I shall soon be a skeleton; I can scarce forbear a smile, They have had such glorious fun.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I shall soon be a skeleton, The worms are wriggling away; They have had such glorious fun, They will fertilize my clay.
wormsnounUS /wɜːrmz/
plural of “worm” — any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading I shall soon be a skeleton, The worms are wriggling away; They have had such glorious fun, They will fertilize my clay.
wrigglingadjective
moving in a twisting or snake-like or wormlike fashion
From this reading I shall soon be a skeleton, The worms are wriggling away; They have had such glorious fun, They will fertilize my clay.
