used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
artlessadjective
characterized by an inability to mask your feelings; not devious
From this reading Many important lessons may be learned from the artless utterances of a child.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Many important lessons may be learned from the artless utterances of a child.”
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
BurnsnounUS /bɜːrnz/
United States comedian and film actor (1896-1996)
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
an occurrence of something
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
a young person of either sex
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
child'snounUS /tʃaɪldz/
possessive form of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading “I suppose it was merely a child’s fancy,—a coincidence, probably.”
coincidencenounUS /koʊˈɪnsɪdəns/
an event that might have been arranged although it was really accidental
From this reading “I suppose it was merely a child’s fancy,—a coincidence, probably.”
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
something many people believe that is false
From this reading “I suppose it was merely a child’s fancy,—a coincidence, probably.”
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Many important lessons may be learned from the artless utterances of a child.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I suppose it was merely a child’s fancy,—a coincidence, probably.”
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
of great significance or value
From this reading Many important lessons may be learned from the artless utterances of a child.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading Many important lessons may be learned from the artless utterances of a child.”
lessonsnounUS /ˈlesənz/
plural of “lesson” — a unit of instruction
From this reading Many important lessons may be learned from the artless utterances of a child.”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Many important lessons may be learned from the artless utterances of a child.”
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Many important lessons may be learned from the artless utterances of a child.”
McAlpin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
and nothing more
From this reading “I suppose it was merely a child’s fancy,—a coincidence, probably.”
a form of address for a man
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
predictverbUS /prɪˈdɪkt/
make a prediction about; tell in advance
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading “I suppose it was merely a child’s fancy,—a coincidence, probably.”
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
revelationnounUS /ˌrevəˈleɪʃən/
the speech act of making something evident
From this reading “And I suppose it was a revelation.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
an ability that has been acquired by training
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
not in physical motion
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
stubbornadjectiveUS /ˈstʌbərn/
tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
express a supposition
From this reading “I suppose it was merely a child’s fancy,—a coincidence, probably.”
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
untimelyadjectiveUS /ənˈtaɪmli/
badly timed
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
utterancesnounUS /ˈʌtərənsɪz/
plural of “utterance” — the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication
From this reading Many important lessons may be learned from the artless utterances of a child.”
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
showing sorrow
From this reading “It was a stubborn case, and quite beyond my poor skill,” said the Little Doctor, as they all stood weeping around the still and beautiful form of the precious dead.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What do you imagine caused the child to predict his untimely taking off, Mr. Burns?” asked Mrs. McAlpin, as they watched alone.
