Chapter XXVIII · Chapter 28

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

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

generally approved or compelling recognition

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

be able to spare or give up

From this reading He could not afford to lose his fortune entirely.

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

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

-ing form of “avoid” — stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

without doubt or question

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

the act of compelling by force of authority

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

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

From this reading He could not afford to lose his fortune entirely.

without question and beyond doubt

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading He did not have enough money of his own.

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)

From this reading He could not afford to lose his fortune entirely.

a social unit living together

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

From this reading He could not afford to lose his fortune entirely.

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

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading He did not have enough money of his own.

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

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

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

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

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

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 This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

go away from a place

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

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

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense

From this reading He could not afford to lose his fortune entirely.

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

joined in matrimony

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

a state of confusion and disorderliness

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender

From this reading He did not have enough money of his own.

not any; not one

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

the action of opposing something that you disapprove or disagree with

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

have ownership or possession of

From this reading He did not have enough money of his own.

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

(logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

successfully completed or brought to an end

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

disgraceful gossip about the private lives of other people

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Jennie was unhappy, he could see that.

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

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

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

in or at that place or location

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

a special situation

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

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

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

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

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

experiencing or marked by or causing sadness or sorrow or discontent

From this reading Jennie was unhappy, he could see that.

desired or wished for or sought

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

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

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

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

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

at the time that

From this reading He had realized clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave him; There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this business.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.

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

From this reading This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being.