used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
the state of being absent
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading They did not dismiss him as they might have done after any one of his unruly escapades.
(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 There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They bided their time, and as the season approached its end they became the more lenient.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading They did not dismiss him as they might have done after any one of his unruly escapades.
past form of “approach” — move towards
From this reading They bided their time, and as the season approached its end they became the more lenient.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They did not dismiss him as they might have done after any one of his unruly escapades.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Well, my boy, did you have a good time?” he asked with portentous cordiality.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE SENTENCE Even the powers that be at Temple Camp were considerate of Hervey.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading THE SENTENCE Even the powers that be at Temple Camp were considerate of Hervey.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading They bided their time, and as the season approached its end they became the more lenient.
Benson
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
bided
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They bided their time, and as the season approached its end they became the more lenient.
a youthful male person
From this reading “Well, my boy, did you have a good time?” he asked with portentous cordiality.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading THE SENTENCE Even the powers that be at Temple Camp were considerate of Hervey.
considerateadjectiveUS /kənˈsɪdərət/
showing concern for the rights and feelings of others
From this reading THE SENTENCE Even the powers that be at Temple Camp were considerate of Hervey.
cordialitynoun
a cordial disposition
From this reading “Well, my boy, did you have a good time?” he asked with portentous cordiality.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading They did not dismiss him as they might have done after any one of his unruly escapades.
dismissverbUS /dɪˈsmɪs/
bar from attention or consideration
From this reading They did not dismiss him as they might have done after any one of his unruly escapades.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading They did not dismiss him as they might have done after any one of his unruly escapades.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading They bided their time, and as the season approached its end they became the more lenient.
escapadesnounUS /ˈeskəpeɪdz/
plural of “escapade” — a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)
From this reading They did not dismiss him as they might have done after any one of his unruly escapades.
divisible by two
From this reading THE SENTENCE Even the powers that be at Temple Camp were considerate of Hervey.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Well, my boy, did you have a good time?” he asked with portentous cordiality.
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
grimnessnounUS /ˈɡrɪmnəs/
the quality of being ghastly
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They did not dismiss him as they might have done after any one of his unruly escapades.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Well, my boy, did you have a good time?” he asked with portentous cordiality.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
Hervey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SENTENCE Even the powers that be at Temple Camp were considerate of Hervey.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They did not dismiss him as they might have done after any one of his unruly escapades.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading They did not dismiss him as they might have done after any one of his unruly escapades.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading They bided their time, and as the season approached its end they became the more lenient.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
leniencynounUS /ˈliːnjənsi/
mercifulness as a consequence of being lenient or tolerant
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
lenientadjectiveUS /ˈliːniənt/
tolerant or lenient
From this reading They bided their time, and as the season approached its end they became the more lenient.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading They did not dismiss him as they might have done after any one of his unruly escapades.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading They bided their time, and as the season approached its end they became the more lenient.
a form of address for a man
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Well, my boy, did you have a good time?” he asked with portentous cordiality.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading They did not dismiss him as they might have done after any one of his unruly escapades.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE SENTENCE Even the powers that be at Temple Camp were considerate of Hervey.
ominousadjectiveUS /ˈɑːmənəs/
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading They did not dismiss him as they might have done after any one of his unruly escapades.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
portentousadjectiveUS /pɔːrˈtentəs/
of momentous or ominous significance
From this reading “Well, my boy, did you have a good time?” he asked with portentous cordiality.
plural of “power” — possession of controlling influence
From this reading THE SENTENCE Even the powers that be at Temple Camp were considerate of Hervey.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading They bided their time, and as the season approached its end they became the more lenient.
a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language
From this reading THE SENTENCE Even the powers that be at Temple Camp were considerate of Hervey.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
place of worship consisting of an edifice for the worship of a deity
From this reading THE SENTENCE Even the powers that be at Temple Camp were considerate of Hervey.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE SENTENCE Even the powers that be at Temple Camp were considerate of Hervey.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SENTENCE Even the powers that be at Temple Camp were considerate of Hervey.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They bided their time, and as the season approached its end they became the more lenient.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They did not dismiss him as they might have done after any one of his unruly escapades.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading They bided their time, and as the season approached its end they became the more lenient.
unrulyadjectiveUS /ənˈruːli/
noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline
From this reading They did not dismiss him as they might have done after any one of his unruly escapades.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading There was something ominous about their leniency; a kind of grimness about the way Mr. Benson greeted our hero upon his return after an all night absence.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well, my boy, did you have a good time?” he asked with portentous cordiality.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading THE SENTENCE Even the powers that be at Temple Camp were considerate of Hervey.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Well, my boy, did you have a good time?” he asked with portentous cordiality.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Well, my boy, did you have a good time?” he asked with portentous cordiality.
