used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "A short time before, yes."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "A short time before, yes."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
taking care or paying attention
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
Courtenay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mr. Courtenay had just left you?"
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
opinion or judgment
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Mr. Courtenay had just left you?"
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading Joyce hesitated a moment, and then she said, "No; positively not.
not accessible to view
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
JoycenounUS /dʒɔɪs/
influential Irish writer noted for his many innovations (such as stream of consciousness writing) (1882-1941)
From this reading Joyce hesitated a moment, and then she said, "No; positively not.
and nothing more
From this reading "Mr. Courtenay had just left you?"
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading "Mr. Courtenay had just left you?"
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
a particular point in time
From this reading Joyce hesitated a moment, and then she said, "No; positively not.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Mr. Courtenay had just left you?"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
not any; not one
From this reading Joyce hesitated a moment, and then she said, "No; positively not.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
by chance
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
positivelyadverbUS /ˈpɑːzətɪvli/
extremely
From this reading Joyce hesitated a moment, and then she said, "No; positively not.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Joyce hesitated a moment, and then she said, "No; positively not.
seatsnounUS /siːts/
an area that includes places where several people can sit
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Joyce hesitated a moment, and then she said, "No; positively not.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading "A short time before, yes."
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Joyce hesitated a moment, and then she said, "No; positively not.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "A short time before, yes."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was sitting on one of the side seats, and I may have had my eyes closed, for I was thinking deeply, but if any one had passed through the room I should have heard footsteps, of course."
in the company of; together with
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
an affirmative
From this reading "A short time before, yes."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Mr. Courtenay had just left you?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And,--now think carefully,--could you not have been sitting with your back to the door, or--perhaps, had you your face hidden in your hands, or for any such reason, could some one have passed you without your knowing it?"
