used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading An exclamation of surprise from some of the company put a stop to our conversation.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An exclamation of surprise from some of the company put a stop to our conversation.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Some silver spoons which ornamented an old-fashioned buffet had just been discovered.
buffetnounUS /ˈbʌfət/
a piece of furniture that stands at the side of a dining room; has shelves and drawers
From this reading Some silver spoons which ornamented an old-fashioned buffet had just been discovered.
closetnounUS /ˈklɑːzət/
a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space
From this reading The closet that contained these was next invaded, and the contents tasted.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading An exclamation of surprise from some of the company put a stop to our conversation.
consequentlyadverbUS /ˈkɑːnsəkwəntli/
(sentence connectors) because of the reason given
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
gotten under control
From this reading The closet that contained these was next invaded, and the contents tasted.
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading The closet that contained these was next invaded, and the contents tasted.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading An exclamation of surprise from some of the company put a stop to our conversation.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading Some silver spoons which ornamented an old-fashioned buffet had just been discovered.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading One of them, who was helping himself freely, tapped his neighbor on the shoulder, and said, “Wal done!
exclamationnounUS /ˌekskləˈmeɪʃən/
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading An exclamation of surprise from some of the company put a stop to our conversation.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
in a free manner
From this reading One of them, who was helping himself freely, tapped his neighbor on the shoulder, and said, “Wal done!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading An exclamation of surprise from some of the company put a stop to our conversation.
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
grandmothernounUS /ˈɡrændmʌðər/
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
an established custom
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Some silver spoons which ornamented an old-fashioned buffet had just been discovered.
helpingnounUS /ˈhelpɪŋ/
an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal
From this reading One of them, who was helping himself freely, tapped his neighbor on the shoulder, and said, “Wal done!
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading One of them, who was helping himself freely, tapped his neighbor on the shoulder, and said, “Wal done!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading One of them, who was helping himself freely, tapped his neighbor on the shoulder, and said, “Wal done!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
invadedverbUS /ˌɪnˈveɪdəd/
past form of “invade” — march aggressively into another's territory by military force for the purposes of conquest and occupation
From this reading The closet that contained these was next invaded, and the contents tasted.
jarsnounUS /dʒɑːrz/
Wide-mouthed cylindrical containers made of clay or glass, used for storing goods.
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
and nothing more
From this reading Some silver spoons which ornamented an old-fashioned buffet had just been discovered.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
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 My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
neighbornounUS /ˈneɪbər/
a person who lives (or is located) near another
From this reading One of them, who was helping himself freely, tapped his neighbor on the shoulder, and said, “Wal done!
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The closet that contained these was next invaded, and the contents tasted.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading An exclamation of surprise from some of the company put a stop to our conversation.
old-fashionedadjectiveUS /ˌoʊldˈfæʃənd/
out of fashion
From this reading Some silver spoons which ornamented an old-fashioned buffet had just been discovered.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading One of them, who was helping himself freely, tapped his neighbor on the shoulder, and said, “Wal done!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of them, who was helping himself freely, tapped his neighbor on the shoulder, and said, “Wal done!
ornamentedverbUS /ˈɔːrnəmentɪd/
past form of “ornament” — make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.
From this reading Some silver spoons which ornamented an old-fashioned buffet had just been discovered.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading An exclamation of surprise from some of the company put a stop to our conversation.
plural of “party” — an organization to gain political power
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
preparingverbUS /priˈperɪŋ/
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
preservesnounUS /prəˈzɜːrvz/
fruit preserved by cooking with sugar
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
preservingverbUS /prəˈzɜːrvɪŋ/
-ing form of “preserve” — keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading An exclamation of surprise from some of the company put a stop to our conversation.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading One of them, who was helping himself freely, tapped his neighbor on the shoulder, and said, “Wal done!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading One of them, who was helping himself freely, tapped his neighbor on the shoulder, and said, “Wal done!
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading Some silver spoons which ornamented an old-fashioned buffet had just been discovered.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading An exclamation of surprise from some of the company put a stop to our conversation.
spoonsnounUS /spuːnz/
plural of “spoon” — a piece of cutlery with a shallow bowl-shaped container and a handle; used to stir or serve or take up food
From this reading Some silver spoons which ornamented an old-fashioned buffet had just been discovered.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading An exclamation of surprise from some of the company put a stop to our conversation.
suppersnounUS /ˈsʌpərz/
plural of “supper” — a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading An exclamation of surprise from some of the company put a stop to our conversation.
tappedadjectiveUS /tæpt/
in a condition for letting out liquid drawn out as by piercing or drawing a plug
From this reading One of them, who was helping himself freely, tapped his neighbor on the shoulder, and said, “Wal done!
tastedverbUS /ˈteɪstɪd/
past form of “taste” — have flavor; taste of something
From this reading The closet that contained these was next invaded, and the contents tasted.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The closet that contained these was next invaded, and the contents tasted.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading An exclamation of surprise from some of the company put a stop to our conversation.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading One of them, who was helping himself freely, tapped his neighbor on the shoulder, and said, “Wal done!
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading The closet that contained these was next invaded, and the contents tasted.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading An exclamation of surprise from some of the company put a stop to our conversation.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
Wal
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of them, who was helping himself freely, tapped his neighbor on the shoulder, and said, “Wal done!
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My grandmother was in the habit of preserving fruit for many ladies in the town, and of preparing suppers for parties; consequently she had many jars of preserves.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Some silver spoons which ornamented an old-fashioned buffet had just been discovered.
which person or people
From this reading One of them, who was helping himself freely, tapped his neighbor on the shoulder, and said, “Wal done!
