used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And why do you pretend to be a princess, if you are not?
a cherished desire
From this reading My turn is romantic, answered she, and I have ever had an ambition of being the heroine of a novel.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading My turn is romantic, answered she, and I have ever had an ambition of being the heroine of a novel.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And why do you pretend to be a princess, if you are not?
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading My turn is romantic, answered she, and I have ever had an ambition of being the heroine of a novel.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading And why do you pretend to be a princess, if you are not?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading And why do you pretend to be a princess, if you are not?
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading My turn is romantic, answered she, and I have ever had an ambition of being the heroine of a novel.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Now there are but two conditions that entitle one to that rank; one must be a shepherdess or a princess.
the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process
From this reading Now there are but two conditions that entitle one to that rank; one must be a shepherdess or a princess.
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading Well, content yourself, said the giant, you will die an empress, without being either the one or the other!
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Well, content yourself, said the giant, you will die an empress, without being either the one or the other!
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading And why do you pretend to be a princess, if you are not?
one or the other of two
From this reading Well, content yourself, said the giant, you will die an empress, without being either the one or the other!
empressnounUS /ˈempres/
a woman emperor or the wife of an emperor
From this reading Well, content yourself, said the giant, you will die an empress, without being either the one or the other!
entitleverbUS /enˈtaɪtəl/
give the right to
From this reading Now there are but two conditions that entitle one to that rank; one must be a shepherdess or a princess.
at any time
From this reading My turn is romantic, answered she, and I have ever had an ambition of being the heroine of a novel.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But what sublime reason had you for lengthening your name so unaccountably?
any creature of exceptional size
From this reading Well, content yourself, said the giant, you will die an empress, without being either the one or the other!
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading My turn is romantic, answered she, and I have ever had an ambition of being the heroine of a novel.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading My turn is romantic, answered she, and I have ever had an ambition of being the heroine of a novel.
heroinenounUS /ˈheroʊən/
the main good female character in a work of fiction
From this reading My turn is romantic, answered she, and I have ever had an ambition of being the heroine of a novel.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading My turn is romantic, answered she, and I have ever had an ambition of being the heroine of a novel.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And why do you pretend to be a princess, if you are not?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My turn is romantic, answered she, and I have ever had an ambition of being the heroine of a novel.
lengtheningnounUS /ˈleŋθənɪŋ/
the act of prolonging something
From this reading But what sublime reason had you for lengthening your name so unaccountably?
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Now there are but two conditions that entitle one to that rank; one must be a shepherdess or a princess.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My turn is romantic, answered she, and I have ever had an ambition of being the heroine of a novel.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading But what sublime reason had you for lengthening your name so unaccountably?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And why do you pretend to be a princess, if you are not?
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading My turn is romantic, answered she, and I have ever had an ambition of being the heroine of a novel.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now there are but two conditions that entitle one to that rank; one must be a shepherdess or a princess.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading My turn is romantic, answered she, and I have ever had an ambition of being the heroine of a novel.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Now there are but two conditions that entitle one to that rank; one must be a shepherdess or a princess.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Now there are but two conditions that entitle one to that rank; one must be a shepherdess or a princess.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Well, content yourself, said the giant, you will die an empress, without being either the one or the other!
pretendverbUS /priˈtend/
make believe with the intent to deceive
From this reading And why do you pretend to be a princess, if you are not?
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading And why do you pretend to be a princess, if you are not?
a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another
From this reading Now there are but two conditions that entitle one to that rank; one must be a shepherdess or a princess.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading But what sublime reason had you for lengthening your name so unaccountably?
romanticadjectiveUS /roʊˈmæntɪk/
belonging to or characteristic of Romanticism or the Romantic Movement in the arts
From this reading My turn is romantic, answered she, and I have ever had an ambition of being the heroine of a novel.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Well, content yourself, said the giant, you will die an empress, without being either the one or the other!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My turn is romantic, answered she, and I have ever had an ambition of being the heroine of a novel.
shepherdessnoun
a woman shepherd
From this reading Now there are but two conditions that entitle one to that rank; one must be a shepherdess or a princess.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading But what sublime reason had you for lengthening your name so unaccountably?
sublimeadjectiveUS /səˈblaɪm/
inspiring awe
From this reading But what sublime reason had you for lengthening your name so unaccountably?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Now there are but two conditions that entitle one to that rank; one must be a shepherdess or a princess.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My turn is romantic, answered she, and I have ever had an ambition of being the heroine of a novel.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Now there are but two conditions that entitle one to that rank; one must be a shepherdess or a princess.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And why do you pretend to be a princess, if you are not?
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading My turn is romantic, answered she, and I have ever had an ambition of being the heroine of a novel.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Now there are but two conditions that entitle one to that rank; one must be a shepherdess or a princess.
unaccountablyadverbUS /ˌʌnəˈkaʊntəbli/
in an unaccountable manner
From this reading But what sublime reason had you for lengthening your name so unaccountably?
(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, content yourself, said the giant, you will die an empress, without being either the one or the other!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But what sublime reason had you for lengthening your name so unaccountably?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading And why do you pretend to be a princess, if you are not?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Well, content yourself, said the giant, you will die an empress, without being either the one or the other!
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Well, content yourself, said the giant, you will die an empress, without being either the one or the other!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And why do you pretend to be a princess, if you are not?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But what sublime reason had you for lengthening your name so unaccountably?
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading Well, content yourself, said the giant, you will die an empress, without being either the one or the other!
