Chapter VII

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

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.

later than; following

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

(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 He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

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

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.

having undesirable or negative qualities

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

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

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.

produce or yield flowers

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.

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

From this reading Johnny Blossom’s Christmas Presents MY, oh, my!

the two together, not just one

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

a youthful male person

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

plural of “cent” — a fractional monetary unit of several countries

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6

From this reading Johnny Blossom’s Christmas Presents MY, oh, my!

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.

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

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading This wasn’t the first year he had given presents, no, indeed!

restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

acknowledged as a supposition

From this reading This wasn’t the first year he had given presents, no, indeed!

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

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

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

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

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

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

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

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

a servant who is employed to perform domestic task in a household

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

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

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

in truth (often tends to intensify)

From this reading This wasn’t the first year he had given presents, no, indeed!

(Old Testament) the second patriarch; son of Abraham and Sarah who was offered by Abraham as a sacrifice to God; father of Jacob and Esau

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

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

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms

From this reading Johnny Blossom’s Christmas Presents MY, oh, my!

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

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

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

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

immediately past

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

plural of “maid” — a female domestic

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

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

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Johnny Blossom’s Christmas Presents MY, oh, my!

not any; not one

From this reading This wasn’t the first year he had given presents, no, indeed!

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading Johnny Blossom’s Christmas Presents MY, oh, my!

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.

used with “to” to say what is right or advisable

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.

plural of “present” — the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech

From this reading Johnny Blossom’s Christmas Presents MY, oh, my!

being or characteristic of a single thing or person

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.

plural of “sister” — a female person who has the same parents as another person

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

refrain from harming

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

unique or specific to a person or thing or category

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

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

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

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

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

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

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

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

From this reading This wasn’t the first year he had given presents, no, indeed!

in spite of the fact that

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

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

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

the day after today

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.

the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

possessive form of “uncle” — the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

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

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

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

From this reading He would have to hurry now, though after all he wasn’t in such a bad fix, for he had some money—fifty cents, in fact—and that was surely enough and to spare.

which person or people

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

in the company of; together with

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

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

From this reading He ought to give twelve Christmas presents in all: to Father and Mother, three sisters, both the maids, Jeremias the wood-cutter, Uncle Isaac of Kingthorpe, Miss Melling (Uncle’s housekeeper), Miss Jorgensen, who stayed with them last summer, and Tellef, his special boy friend.

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

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading This wasn’t the first year he had given presents, no, indeed!

but in spite of that

From this reading Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas and Johnny Blossom hadn’t thought about a single present yet, for any one.