used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She was not thinking, as he would have imagined, about her manuscript.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
Alison
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading In one sense she had no great opinion of Geoffrey Alison, although she liked to have him as her friend.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
amusingadjectiveUS /əˈmjuːzɪŋ/
providing enjoyment; pleasantly entertaining
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She was not thinking, as he would have imagined, about her manuscript.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
bitingadjectiveUS /ˈbaɪtɪŋ/
capable of wounding
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
estimatenounUS /ˈestəmət/
an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading In one sense she had no great opinion of Geoffrey Alison, although she liked to have him as her friend.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
Geoffrey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
destroyed or killed
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading In one sense she had no great opinion of Geoffrey Alison, although she liked to have him as her friend.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading She was not thinking, as he would have imagined, about her manuscript.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was not thinking, as he would have imagined, about her manuscript.
HelenanounUS /ˈhelənə/
capital of the state of Montana; located in western Montana
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In one sense she had no great opinion of Geoffrey Alison, although she liked to have him as her friend.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
Hubert's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was thinking about Hubert's work.
past form of “imagine” — form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading She was not thinking, as he would have imagined, about her manuscript.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In one sense she had no great opinion of Geoffrey Alison, although she liked to have him as her friend.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading In one sense she had no great opinion of Geoffrey Alison, although she liked to have him as her friend.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
manlyadjectiveUS /ˈmænli/
possessing qualities befitting a man
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
manuscriptnounUS /ˈmæn.jə.skrɪpt/
A book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed.
From this reading She was not thinking, as he would have imagined, about her manuscript.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
not in physical motion
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
not any; not one
From this reading In one sense she had no great opinion of Geoffrey Alison, although she liked to have him as her friend.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She was not thinking, as he would have imagined, about her manuscript.
not divisible by two
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading In one sense she had no great opinion of Geoffrey Alison, although she liked to have him as her friend.
a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading In one sense she had no great opinion of Geoffrey Alison, although she liked to have him as her friend.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
pen-holder
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
SALESnounUS /seɪlz/
income (at invoice values) received for goods and services over some given period of time
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading In one sense she had no great opinion of Geoffrey Alison, although she liked to have him as her friend.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was not thinking, as he would have imagined, about her manuscript.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
swayedverbUS /sweɪd/
past form of “sway” — move back and forth or sideways
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
a special situation
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading A MATTER OF SALES Long after Geoffrey Alison had gone, Helena sat motionless at her desk, biting a pen-holder; looking out into the garden and thinking.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In one sense she had no great opinion of Geoffrey Alison, although she liked to have him as her friend.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was not thinking, as he would have imagined, about her manuscript.
at the time that
From this reading She did not respect him, did not think him manly, would never be swayed by his estimate of her: he was an odd, amusing, clever, little thing and she was never altogether sure when he was serious.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading She was thinking about Hubert's work.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading She was not thinking, as he would have imagined, about her manuscript.
