used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Helen always had the amount carefully laid aside.
a quantity of money
From this reading Helen always had the amount carefully laid aside.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Apparently brighter days had dawned upon Helen and her father.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
from appearances alone
From this reading Apparently brighter days had dawned upon Helen and her father.
on or to one side
From this reading Helen always had the amount carefully laid aside.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
brighteradjectiveUS /ˈbraɪtər/
comparative of “bright” — emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading Apparently brighter days had dawned upon Helen and her father.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The landlady’s call for the rent was now cheerfully received.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading Helen always had the amount carefully laid aside.
cheerfullyadverbUS /ˈtʃɪrfəli/
in a cheerful manner
From this reading The landlady’s call for the rent was now cheerfully received.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
deem to be
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
every day; without missing a day
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
dawnedverbUS /dɔːnd/
past form of “dawn” — become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions
From this reading Apparently brighter days had dawned upon Helen and her father.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Apparently brighter days had dawned upon Helen and her father.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
economynounUS /ɪˈkɑːnəmi/
the system of production and distribution and consumption
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
farenounUS /fer/
an agenda of things to do
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Apparently brighter days had dawned upon Helen and her father.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The landlady’s call for the rent was now cheerfully received.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Apparently brighter days had dawned upon Helen and her father.
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading Apparently brighter days had dawned upon Helen and her father.
Helen'snounUS /ˈhelɪnz/
possessive form of “helen” — (Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Apparently brighter days had dawned upon Helen and her father.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
set down according to a plan
From this reading Helen always had the amount carefully laid aside.
landlady's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The landlady’s call for the rent was now cheerfully received.
loannounUS /loʊn/
the temporary provision of money (usually at interest)
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
for more time
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
luxurynounUS /ˈlʌɡʒəri/
something that is an indulgence rather than a necessity
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
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 Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
a form of address for a man
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
the condition of being essential or indispensable
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
not any; not one
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
under a moral obligation to do something
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
occasionaladjectiveUS /əˈkeɪʒənəl/
occurring from time to time
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
pinchingverbUS /ˈpɪntʃɪŋ/
-ing form of “pinch” — squeeze tightly between the fingers
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
a customary way of operation or behavior
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
pursenounUS /pɜːrs/
a container used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women)
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading The landlady’s call for the rent was now cheerfully received.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
rentverbUS /rent/
let for money
From this reading The landlady’s call for the rent was now cheerfully received.
salarynounUS /ˈsæləri/
something that remunerates
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
Sharp'snounUS /ʃɑːrps/
possessive form of “sharp” — a musical notation indicating one half step higher than the note named
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Apparently brighter days had dawned upon Helen and her father.
any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The landlady’s call for the rent was now cheerfully received.
weeklynounUS /ˈwiːkli/
a periodical that is published every week (or 52 issues per year)
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With Mr. Sharp’s loan and Helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
but in spite of that
From this reading Helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse.
