used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She somehow could not find a place in her philosophy of marriage for the cooks, the housemaids and the nurses.
absurditynounUS /əbˈsɜːrdəti/
a message whose content is at variance with reason
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
acted upon; influenced
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
affrontedverbUS /əˈfrʌntɪd/
past form of “affront” — treat, mention, or speak to rudely
From this reading The cheap comedy of the whole servant problem affronted her and to have to play a rôle in it herself was increasingly irritating.
allowingverbUS /əˈlaʊɪŋ/
-ing form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
botheredadjectiveUS /ˈbɑːðərd/
caused to show discomposure
From this reading They had to be if she wanted to escape the physical work in a house spacious enough for her needs, but to have to regulate her life by them bothered her.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading They had to be if she wanted to escape the physical work in a house spacious enough for her needs, but to have to regulate her life by them bothered her.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
Cecily
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
cheapadjectiveUS /tʃiːp/
relatively low in price or charging low prices
From this reading The cheap comedy of the whole servant problem affronted her and to have to play a rôle in it herself was increasingly irritating.
comedynounUS /ˈkɑːmədi/
light and humorous drama with a happy ending
From this reading The cheap comedy of the whole servant problem affronted her and to have to play a rôle in it herself was increasingly irritating.
cooksnounUS /kʊks/
plural of “cook” — someone who cooks food
From this reading She somehow could not find a place in her philosophy of marriage for the cooks, the housemaids and the nurses.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She somehow could not find a place in her philosophy of marriage for the cooks, the housemaids and the nurses.
dignifiedadjectiveUS /ˈdɪɡnəfaɪd/
having or expressing dignity; especially formality or stateliness in bearing or appearance
From this reading It wasn’t, she felt, dignified.
of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading They had to be if she wanted to escape the physical work in a house spacious enough for her needs, but to have to regulate her life by them bothered her.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading They had to be if she wanted to escape the physical work in a house spacious enough for her needs, but to have to regulate her life by them bothered her.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading She somehow could not find a place in her philosophy of marriage for the cooks, the housemaids and the nurses.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She somehow could not find a place in her philosophy of marriage for the cooks, the housemaids and the nurses.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had to be if she wanted to escape the physical work in a house spacious enough for her needs, but to have to regulate her life by them bothered her.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They had to be if she wanted to escape the physical work in a house spacious enough for her needs, but to have to regulate her life by them bothered her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading The cheap comedy of the whole servant problem affronted her and to have to play a rôle in it herself was increasingly irritating.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading They had to be if she wanted to escape the physical work in a house spacious enough for her needs, but to have to regulate her life by them bothered her.
housemaids
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She somehow could not find a place in her philosophy of marriage for the cooks, the housemaids and the nurses.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading They had to be if she wanted to escape the physical work in a house spacious enough for her needs, but to have to regulate her life by them bothered her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She somehow could not find a place in her philosophy of marriage for the cooks, the housemaids and the nurses.
increasinglyadverbUS /ɪnˈkriːsɪŋli/
advancing in amount or intensity
From this reading The cheap comedy of the whole servant problem affronted her and to have to play a rôle in it herself was increasingly irritating.
irritatingadjectiveUS /ˈɪrəteɪtɪŋ/
causing irritation or annoyance
From this reading The cheap comedy of the whole servant problem affronted her and to have to play a rôle in it herself was increasingly irritating.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
machinerynounUS /məˈʃiːnəri/
machines or machine systems collectively
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
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 There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading She somehow could not find a place in her philosophy of marriage for the cooks, the housemaids and the nurses.
in such a manner as could not be otherwise
From this reading They had to be if she wanted to escape the physical work in a house spacious enough for her needs, but to have to regulate her life by them bothered her.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She somehow could not find a place in her philosophy of marriage for the cooks, the housemaids and the nurses.
nursesnounUS /ˈnɜːrsəz/
plural of “nurse” — one skilled in caring for young children or the sick (usually under the supervision of a physician)
From this reading She somehow could not find a place in her philosophy of marriage for the cooks, the housemaids and the nurses.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
operatedverbUS /ˈɑːpəreɪtəd/
past form of “operate” — direct or control; projects, businesses, etc.
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
philosophynounUS /fɪˈlɑː.sə.fi/
The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. (Triết học, đạo lý nhân sinh.)
From this reading She somehow could not find a place in her philosophy of marriage for the cooks, the housemaids and the nurses.
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading They had to be if she wanted to escape the physical work in a house spacious enough for her needs, but to have to regulate her life by them bothered her.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading She somehow could not find a place in her philosophy of marriage for the cooks, the housemaids and the nurses.
participate in games or sport
From this reading The cheap comedy of the whole servant problem affronted her and to have to play a rôle in it herself was increasingly irritating.
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading The cheap comedy of the whole servant problem affronted her and to have to play a rôle in it herself was increasingly irritating.
regulateverbUS /ˈreɡjəleɪt/
fix or adjust the time, amount, degree, or rate of
From this reading They had to be if she wanted to escape the physical work in a house spacious enough for her needs, but to have to regulate her life by them bothered her.
rôle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The cheap comedy of the whole servant problem affronted her and to have to play a rôle in it herself was increasingly irritating.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading The cheap comedy of the whole servant problem affronted her and to have to play a rôle in it herself was increasingly irritating.
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It wasn’t, she felt, dignified.
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading She somehow could not find a place in her philosophy of marriage for the cooks, the housemaids and the nurses.
spaciousadjectiveUS /ˈspeɪʃəs/
very large in expanse or scope
From this reading They had to be if she wanted to escape the physical work in a house spacious enough for her needs, but to have to regulate her life by them bothered her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They had to be if she wanted to escape the physical work in a house spacious enough for her needs, but to have to regulate her life by them bothered her.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had to be if she wanted to escape the physical work in a house spacious enough for her needs, but to have to regulate her life by them bothered her.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading They had to be if she wanted to escape the physical work in a house spacious enough for her needs, but to have to regulate her life by them bothered her.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The cheap comedy of the whole servant problem affronted her and to have to play a rôle in it herself was increasingly irritating.
wasn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It wasn’t, she felt, dignified.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
at the time that
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
which person or people
From this reading There were many times when Cecily felt the absurdity of allowing her life to be affected by her domestic machinery and the servants who operated it.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading The cheap comedy of the whole servant problem affronted her and to have to play a rôle in it herself was increasingly irritating.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading They had to be if she wanted to escape the physical work in a house spacious enough for her needs, but to have to regulate her life by them bothered her.
