used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The hideous realities of what was about to happen to me refused to be ignored.
alasexclamationUS /əˈlæs/
used to show sadness, pity, or regret
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They thrust themselves upon me and filled my thoughts every instant of the day and haunted my dreams at night.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They thrust themselves upon me and filled my thoughts every instant of the day and haunted my dreams at night.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The hideous realities of what was about to happen to me refused to be ignored.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading The dreadful change that was coming into my life loomed up every moment more distinct, more threatening, more terrible.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading The dreadful change that was coming into my life loomed up every moment more distinct, more threatening, more terrible.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading They thrust themselves upon me and filled my thoughts every instant of the day and haunted my dreams at night.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Of the four days that followed, I do not, even now, like to think.
plural of “difficulty” — an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
distinctadjectiveUS /dɪˈstɪŋkt/
(often followed by “from”) not alike; different in nature or quality
From this reading The dreadful change that was coming into my life loomed up every moment more distinct, more threatening, more terrible.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Of the four days that followed, I do not, even now, like to think.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading The dreadful change that was coming into my life loomed up every moment more distinct, more threatening, more terrible.
plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep
From this reading They thrust themselves upon me and filled my thoughts every instant of the day and haunted my dreams at night.
divisible by two
From this reading Of the four days that followed, I do not, even now, like to think.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading The dreadful change that was coming into my life loomed up every moment more distinct, more threatening, more terrible.
the organ of sight
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading They thrust themselves upon me and filled my thoughts every instant of the day and haunted my dreams at night.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Of the four days that followed, I do not, even now, like to think.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Of the four days that followed, I do not, even now, like to think.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
come to pass
From this reading The hideous realities of what was about to happen to me refused to be ignored.
hauntedadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːntɪd/
having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something
From this reading They thrust themselves upon me and filled my thoughts every instant of the day and haunted my dreams at night.
hideousadjectiveUS /ˈhɪdiəs/
grossly offensive to decency or morality; causing horror
From this reading The hideous realities of what was about to happen to me refused to be ignored.
hintedverbUS /ˈhɪntəd/
past form of “hint” — drop a hint; intimate by a hint
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
hopelessadjectiveUS /ˈhoʊpləs/
without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Of the four days that followed, I do not, even now, like to think.
ignoredadjectiveUS /ˌɪɡˈnɔːrd/
disregarded
From this reading The hideous realities of what was about to happen to me refused to be ignored.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading They thrust themselves upon me and filled my thoughts every instant of the day and haunted my dreams at night.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The dreadful change that was coming into my life loomed up every moment more distinct, more threatening, more terrible.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The dreadful change that was coming into my life loomed up every moment more distinct, more threatening, more terrible.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Of the four days that followed, I do not, even now, like to think.
loomedverbUS /luːmd/
past form of “loom” — come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
From this reading The dreadful change that was coming into my life loomed up every moment more distinct, more threatening, more terrible.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The hideous realities of what was about to happen to me refused to be ignored.
a particular point in time
From this reading The dreadful change that was coming into my life loomed up every moment more distinct, more threatening, more terrible.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The dreadful change that was coming into my life loomed up every moment more distinct, more threatening, more terrible.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The dreadful change that was coming into my life loomed up every moment more distinct, more threatening, more terrible.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading They thrust themselves upon me and filled my thoughts every instant of the day and haunted my dreams at night.
not any; not one
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Of the four days that followed, I do not, even now, like to think.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Of the four days that followed, I do not, even now, like to think.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Of the four days that followed, I do not, even now, like to think.
realitiesnounUS /ˌriːˈælətiːz/
plural of “reality” — all of your experiences that determine how things appear to you
From this reading The hideous realities of what was about to happen to me refused to be ignored.
past form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards
From this reading The hideous realities of what was about to happen to me refused to be ignored.
solutionnounUS /səˈluːʃən/
a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances; frequently (but not necessarily) a liquid solution
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading The dreadful change that was coming into my life loomed up every moment more distinct, more threatening, more terrible.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Of the four days that followed, I do not, even now, like to think.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Of the four days that followed, I do not, even now, like to think.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading They thrust themselves upon me and filled my thoughts every instant of the day and haunted my dreams at night.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They thrust themselves upon me and filled my thoughts every instant of the day and haunted my dreams at night.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Of the four days that followed, I do not, even now, like to think.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading They thrust themselves upon me and filled my thoughts every instant of the day and haunted my dreams at night.
threateningadjectiveUS /ˈθretənɪŋ/
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading The dreadful change that was coming into my life loomed up every moment more distinct, more threatening, more terrible.
push forcefully
From this reading They thrust themselves upon me and filled my thoughts every instant of the day and haunted my dreams at night.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Of the four days that followed, I do not, even now, like to think.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The dreadful change that was coming into my life loomed up every moment more distinct, more threatening, more terrible.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading They thrust themselves upon me and filled my thoughts every instant of the day and haunted my dreams at night.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The dreadful change that was coming into my life loomed up every moment more distinct, more threatening, more terrible.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The hideous realities of what was about to happen to me refused to be ignored.
at the time that
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
wistfuladjectiveUS /ˈwɪstfəl/
showing pensive sadness
From this reading There were times when I turned a wistful eye upon that solution of the hopeless difficulties of life at which my father had hinted; but alas! even that was no solution as matters stood.
