Chapter XXV · Chapter 25

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

speak to

From this reading The cards of address alone remained to nail on: they lay, four little squares, in the drawer.

farther along in physical or mental development

From this reading There was no putting off the day that advanced—the bridal day; and all preparations for its arrival were complete.

attach to

From this reading Mr. Rochester had himself written the direction, “Mrs. Rochester, —— Hotel, London,” on each: I could not persuade myself to affix them, or to have them affixed.

firmly attached

From this reading Mr. Rochester had himself written the direction, “Mrs. Rochester, —— Hotel, London,” on each: I could not persuade myself to affix them, or to have them affixed.

(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 no putting off the day that advanced—the bridal day; and all preparations for its arrival were complete.

Having no one else present.

From this reading The cards of address alone remained to nail on: they lay, four little squares, in the drawer.

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading There was no putting off the day that advanced—the bridal day; and all preparations for its arrival were complete.

accomplishment of an objective

From this reading There was no putting off the day that advanced—the bridal day; and all preparations for its arrival were complete.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading The month of courtship had wasted: its very last hours were being numbered.

of or relating to a wedding

From this reading There was no putting off the day that advanced—the bridal day; and all preparations for its arrival were complete.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

a game played with playing cards

From this reading The cards of address alone remained to nail on: they lay, four little squares, in the drawer.

a natural or artificial enclosed space

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

come or bring to a finish or an end

From this reading There was no putting off the day that advanced—the bridal day; and all preparations for its arrival were complete.

of textiles; having parallel raised lines

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Mr. Rochester had himself written the direction, “Mrs. Rochester, —— Hotel, London,” on each: I could not persuade myself to affix them, or to have them affixed.

a man's courting of a woman; seeking the affections of a woman (usually with the hope of marriage)

From this reading The month of courtship had wasted: its very last hours were being numbered.

a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading There was no putting off the day that advanced—the bridal day; and all preparations for its arrival were complete.

a line leading to a place or point

From this reading Mr. Rochester had himself written the direction, “Mrs. Rochester, —— Hotel, London,” on each: I could not persuade myself to affix them, or to have them affixed.

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

a boxlike container in a piece of furniture; made so as to slide in and out

From this reading The cards of address alone remained to nail on: they lay, four little squares, in the drawer.

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading Mr. Rochester had himself written the direction, “Mrs. Rochester, —— Hotel, London,” on each: I could not persuade myself to affix them, or to have them affixed.

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading There was no putting off the day that advanced—the bridal day; and all preparations for its arrival were complete.

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading The cards of address alone remained to nail on: they lay, four little squares, in the drawer.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The month of courtship had wasted: its very last hours were being numbered.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Mr. Rochester had himself written the direction, “Mrs. Rochester, —— Hotel, London,” on each: I could not persuade myself to affix them, or to have them affixed.

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Mr. Rochester had himself written the direction, “Mrs. Rochester, —— Hotel, London,” on each: I could not persuade myself to affix them, or to have them affixed.

a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services

From this reading Mr. Rochester had himself written the direction, “Mrs. Rochester, —— Hotel, London,” on each: I could not persuade myself to affix them, or to have them affixed.

a period of time assigned for work

From this reading The month of courtship had wasted: its very last hours were being numbered.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading The month of courtship had wasted: its very last hours were being numbered.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

immediately past

From this reading The month of courtship had wasted: its very last hours were being numbered.

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading The cards of address alone remained to nail on: they lay, four little squares, in the drawer.

the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading The month of courtship had wasted: its very last hours were being numbered.

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

a form of address for a man

From this reading Mr. Rochester had himself written the direction, “Mrs. Rochester, —— Hotel, London,” on each: I could not persuade myself to affix them, or to have them affixed.

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading Mr. Rochester had himself written the direction, “Mrs. Rochester, —— Hotel, London,” on each: I could not persuade myself to affix them, or to have them affixed.

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading Mr. Rochester had himself written the direction, “Mrs. Rochester, —— Hotel, London,” on each: I could not persuade myself to affix them, or to have them affixed.

attach something somewhere by means of nails

From this reading The cards of address alone remained to nail on: they lay, four little squares, in the drawer.

not any; not one

From this reading There was no putting off the day that advanced—the bridal day; and all preparations for its arrival were complete.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

not one thing; not anything

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

past form of “number” — add up in number or quantity

From this reading The month of courtship had wasted: its very last hours were being numbered.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The month of courtship had wasted: its very last hours were being numbered.

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading There was no putting off the day that advanced—the bridal day; and all preparations for its arrival were complete.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

extremely crowed or filled to capacity

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

a human being

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

win approval or support for

From this reading Mr. Rochester had himself written the direction, “Mrs. Rochester, —— Hotel, London,” on each: I could not persuade myself to affix them, or to have them affixed.

plural of “preparation” — the activity of putting or setting in order in advance of some act or purpose

From this reading There was no putting off the day that advanced—the bridal day; and all preparations for its arrival were complete.

hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter

From this reading There was no putting off the day that advanced—the bridal day; and all preparations for its arrival were complete.

past form of “range” — change or be different within limits

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

on the contrary

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading The cards of address alone remained to nail on: they lay, four little squares, in the drawer.

an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

a city in western New York; a center of the photographic equipment industry

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

plural of “square” — (geometry) a plane rectangle with four equal sides and four right angles; a four-sided regular polygon

From this reading The cards of address alone remained to nail on: they lay, four little squares, in the drawer.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading There was no putting off the day that advanced—the bridal day; and all preparations for its arrival were complete.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The month of courtship had wasted: its very last hours were being numbered.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Mr. Rochester had himself written the direction, “Mrs. Rochester, —— Hotel, London,” on each: I could not persuade myself to affix them, or to have them affixed.

in or at that place or location

From this reading There was no putting off the day that advanced—the bridal day; and all preparations for its arrival were complete.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

(used in the plural) trousers that end at or above the knee

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

precisely as stated

From this reading The month of courtship had wasted: its very last hours were being numbered.

an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading There was no putting off the day that advanced—the bridal day; and all preparations for its arrival were complete.

serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being

From this reading The month of courtship had wasted: its very last hours were being numbered.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The month of courtship had wasted: its very last hours were being numbered.

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.

set down in writing in any of various ways

From this reading Mr. Rochester had himself written the direction, “Mrs. Rochester, —— Hotel, London,” on each: I could not persuade myself to affix them, or to have them affixed.

but in spite of that

From this reading _I_, at least, had nothing more to do: there were my trunks, packed, locked, corded, ranged in a row along the wall of my little chamber; to-morrow, at this time, they would be far on their road to London: and so should I (D.V.),—or rather, not I, but one Jane Rochester, a person whom as yet I knew not.