used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "What made you think of the sea, James?" his mother asked with a troubled face.
advantagesnounUS /ædˈvæntɪdʒɪz/
plural of “advantage” — the quality of having a superior or more favorable position
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What made you think of the sea, James?" his mother asked with a troubled face.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "It was the books I read last year, at the black salter's.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading "It was the books I read last year, at the black salter's.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading "It was the books I read last year, at the black salter's.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
persuaded of; very sure
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Oh, mother, did you ever read Marryatt's novels, and 'Sinbad the Sailor'?"
at any time
From this reading Oh, mother, did you ever read Marryatt's novels, and 'Sinbad the Sailor'?"
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading "What made you think of the sea, James?" his mother asked with a troubled face.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading IN QUEST OF FORTUNE.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "It was the books I read last year, at the black salter's.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN QUEST OF FORTUNE.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
immediately past
From this reading "It was the books I read last year, at the black salter's.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "What made you think of the sea, James?" his mother asked with a troubled face.
Marryatt's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Oh, mother, did you ever read Marryatt's novels, and 'Sinbad the Sailor'?"
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
novelsnounUS /ˈnɑːvəlz/
plural of “novel” — an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading Oh, mother, did you ever read Marryatt's novels, and 'Sinbad the Sailor'?"
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading IN QUEST OF FORTUNE.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, mother, did you ever read Marryatt's novels, and 'Sinbad the Sailor'?"
past form of “persuade” — win approval or support for
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
pleasuresnounUS /ˈpleʒərz/
plural of “pleasure” — a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
QUESTnounUS /kwest/
a search for an alternative that meets cognitive criteria
From this reading IN QUEST OF FORTUNE.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading "It was the books I read last year, at the black salter's.
any member of a ship's crew
From this reading Oh, mother, did you ever read Marryatt's novels, and 'Sinbad the Sailor'?"
salter'snounUS /ˈsɔːltərz/
possessive form of “salter” — someone who uses salt to preserve meat or fish or other foods
From this reading "It was the books I read last year, at the black salter's.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
SinbadnounUS /ˈsɪnbæd/
in the Arabian Nights a hero who tells of the fantastic adventures he had in his voyages
From this reading Oh, mother, did you ever read Marryatt's novels, and 'Sinbad the Sailor'?"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "What made you think of the sea, James?" his mother asked with a troubled face.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need
From this reading "What made you think of the sea, James?" his mother asked with a troubled face.
vocationnounUS /voʊˈkeɪʃən/
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What made you think of the sea, James?" his mother asked with a troubled face.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "What made you think of the sea, James?" his mother asked with a troubled face.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading James had so persuaded himself that the sea was his vocation, and was so convinced of the pleasures and advantages it would bring, that it had not occurred to him that his mother would object.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading "It was the books I read last year, at the black salter's.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What made you think of the sea, James?" his mother asked with a troubled face.
