used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
afloatadjectiveUS /əˈfloʊt/
aimlessly drifting
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Now, however, matters began to look a little serious.
a youthful male person
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Crowds of men came frequently to the farmhouse and were closeted with Richard.
one who is the object of choice; who is given preference
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
closetedverbUS /ˈklɑːzətɪd/
past form of “closet” — confine to a small space, as for intensive work
From this reading Crowds of men came frequently to the farmhouse and were closeted with Richard.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading Tim Jones rode up and down the country, electioneering for "Dick."
CrowdsnounUS /kraʊdz/
plural of “crowd” — a large number of things or people considered together
From this reading Crowds of men came frequently to the farmhouse and were closeted with Richard.
someone who is a detective
From this reading Tim Jones rode up and down the country, electioneering for "Dick."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Tim Jones rode up and down the country, electioneering for "Dick."
dreamingnounUS /ˈdriːmɪŋ/
imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
electverbUS /ɪˈlekt/
select by a vote for an office or membership
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
electioneeringnounUS /ɪˌlekʃəˈnɪrɪŋ/
persuasion of voters in a political campaign
From this reading Tim Jones rode up and down the country, electioneering for "Dick."
farmhousenounUS /ˈfɑːrmhaʊs/
house for a farmer and family
From this reading Crowds of men came frequently to the farmhouse and were closeted with Richard.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
many times at short intervals
From this reading Crowds of men came frequently to the farmhouse and were closeted with Richard.
the head of a state government
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading Now, however, matters began to look a little serious.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
IowanounUS /ˈaɪəwə/
a member of the Siouan people formerly living in Iowa and Minnesota and Missouri
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
United States labor leader (born in Ireland) who helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (1830-1930)
From this reading Tim Jones rode up and down the country, electioneering for "Dick."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Now, however, matters began to look a little serious.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Now, however, matters began to look a little serious.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
Markham
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Now, however, matters began to look a little serious.
the force of workers available
From this reading Crowds of men came frequently to the farmhouse and were closeted with Richard.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
mythicaladjectiveUS /ˈmɪθəkəl/
based on or told of in traditional stories; lacking factual basis or historical validity
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now, however, matters began to look a little serious.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Crowds of men came frequently to the farmhouse and were closeted with Richard.
on one occasion
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
past form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
Richard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading Tim Jones rode up and down the country, electioneering for "Dick."
rumorsnounUS /ˈruːmərz/
plural of “rumor” — gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading Now, however, matters began to look a little serious.
marked by correspondence or resemblance
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading There had been similar rumors once before, but Mrs. Markham had regarded them as mythical, never dreaming that such an honor could be in store for her boy.
in or at that place or location
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
Tim
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tim Jones rode up and down the country, electioneering for "Dick."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Tim Jones rode up and down the country, electioneering for "Dick."
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Crowds of men came frequently to the farmhouse and were closeted with Richard.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading THE GOVERNOR They were to elect a new one in Iowa, and there were rumors afloat that Richard Markham would be the man chosen by his party.
