used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Grandma spoke in a tone of awful sternness, and her expression was, if possible, even sterner than her voice.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I cannot think of any punishment severe enough for what you deserve.”
any thing at all
From this reading The four little culprits stood before her in a row, and trembled, but nobody could think of anything to say.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
awfuladjectiveUS /ˈɑːfəl/
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading Grandma spoke in a tone of awful sternness, and her expression was, if possible, even sterner than her voice.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The four little culprits stood before her in a row, and trembled, but nobody could think of anything to say.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The four little culprits stood before her in a row, and trembled, but nobody could think of anything to say.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
cannot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I cannot think of any punishment severe enough for what you deserve.”
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The four little culprits stood before her in a row, and trembled, but nobody could think of anything to say.
culpritsnounUS /ˈkʌlprɪts/
plural of “culprit” — someone who perpetrates wrongdoing
From this reading The four little culprits stood before her in a row, and trembled, but nobody could think of anything to say.
deserveverbUS /dɪˈzɜːrv/
be worthy or deserving
From this reading I cannot think of any punishment severe enough for what you deserve.”
earlier in time; previously
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading I cannot think of any punishment severe enough for what you deserve.”
divisible by two
From this reading Grandma spoke in a tone of awful sternness, and her expression was, if possible, even sterner than her voice.
at any time
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
exceptionnounUS /ɪkˈsepʃən/
a deliberate act of omission
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading Grandma spoke in a tone of awful sternness, and her expression was, if possible, even sterner than her voice.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I cannot think of any punishment severe enough for what you deserve.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading The four little culprits stood before her in a row, and trembled, but nobody could think of anything to say.
GrandmanounUS /ˈɡrændmɑː/
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading Grandma spoke in a tone of awful sternness, and her expression was, if possible, even sterner than her voice.
Grandma'snounUS /ˈɡrændmɑːz/
possessive form of “grandma” — the mother of your father or mother
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
half-past
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Grandma spoke in a tone of awful sternness, and her expression was, if possible, even sterner than her voice.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
HOME-COMING
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Grandma spoke in a tone of awful sternness, and her expression was, if possible, even sterner than her voice.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The four little culprits stood before her in a row, and trembled, but nobody could think of anything to say.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
no person; not anyone
From this reading The four little culprits stood before her in a row, and trembled, but nobody could think of anything to say.
obediencenounUS /oʊˈbiːdiəns/
the act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading Grandma spoke in a tone of awful sternness, and her expression was, if possible, even sterner than her voice.
the act of punishing
From this reading I cannot think of any punishment severe enough for what you deserve.”
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading The four little culprits stood before her in a row, and trembled, but nobody could think of anything to say.
express in words
From this reading The four little culprits stood before her in a row, and trembled, but nobody could think of anything to say.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality
From this reading I cannot think of any punishment severe enough for what you deserve.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Grandma spoke in a tone of awful sternness, and her expression was, if possible, even sterner than her voice.
sterneradjectiveUS /ˈstɜːrnər/
comparative of “stern” — of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading Grandma spoke in a tone of awful sternness, and her expression was, if possible, even sterner than her voice.
sternnessnounUS /ˈstɜːrnnəs/
the quality (as of scenery) being grim and gloomy and forbidding
From this reading Grandma spoke in a tone of awful sternness, and her expression was, if possible, even sterner than her voice.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The four little culprits stood before her in a row, and trembled, but nobody could think of anything to say.
successive (without a break)
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Grandma spoke in a tone of awful sternness, and her expression was, if possible, even sterner than her voice.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I cannot think of any punishment severe enough for what you deserve.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The four little culprits stood before her in a row, and trembled, but nobody could think of anything to say.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading Grandma spoke in a tone of awful sternness, and her expression was, if possible, even sterner than her voice.
past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading The four little culprits stood before her in a row, and trembled, but nobody could think of anything to say.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It was half-past three, and the children had reached home five minutes earlier, and been sent straight up to Grandma’s room by Mary, in obedience to the orders she had received.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Grandma spoke in a tone of awful sternness, and her expression was, if possible, even sterner than her voice.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Grandma spoke in a tone of awful sternness, and her expression was, if possible, even sterner than her voice.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I cannot think of any punishment severe enough for what you deserve.”
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
worst-behaved
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading A HOME-COMING “You are really, without exception, the worst-behaved children I have ever heard of in my life.
