used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Had the two been asked the time, they might have said it was about a quarter-past five.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Had the two been asked the time, they might have said it was about a quarter-past five.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The kettle went on singing, the minutes went on flitting, and still nobody came.
angelsnounUS /ˈeɪndʒəlz/
plural of “angel” — spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading Golden hours fly quickly; fly on angels' wings.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Six o'clock struck out from the cathedral as Mr. Parslet entered.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Had the two been asked the time, they might have said it was about a quarter-past five.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Now it chanced that whilst they were at tea, a creditor of Sam's came to the door, one Jonas Badger.
BadgerverbUS /ˈbædʒər/
annoy persistently
From this reading Now it chanced that whilst they were at tea, a creditor of Sam's came to the door, one Jonas Badger.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Had the two been asked the time, they might have said it was about a quarter-past five.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The kettle went on singing, the minutes went on flitting, and still nobody came.
cathedralnounUS /kəˈθiːdrəl/
any large and important church
From this reading Six o'clock struck out from the cathedral as Mr. Parslet entered.
chancedverbUS /tʃænst/
past form of “chance” — be the case by chance
From this reading Now it chanced that whilst they were at tea, a creditor of Sam's came to the door, one Jonas Badger.
creditornounUS /ˈkredətər/
a person to whom money is owed by a debtor; someone to whom an obligation exists
From this reading Now it chanced that whilst they were at tea, a creditor of Sam's came to the door, one Jonas Badger.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Now it chanced that whilst they were at tea, a creditor of Sam's came to the door, one Jonas Badger.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Six o'clock struck out from the cathedral as Mr. Parslet entered.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading Had the two been asked the time, they might have said it was about a quarter-past five.
flittingverbUS /ˈflɪtɪŋ/
inflected form of “flit” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading The kettle went on singing, the minutes went on flitting, and still nobody came.
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading Golden hours fly quickly; fly on angels' wings.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Six o'clock struck out from the cathedral as Mr. Parslet entered.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading Golden hours fly quickly; fly on angels' wings.
Hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had the two been asked the time, they might have said it was about a quarter-past five.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Had the two been asked the time, they might have said it was about a quarter-past five.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading Golden hours fly quickly; fly on angels' wings.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Had the two been asked the time, they might have said it was about a quarter-past five.
Jonas
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now it chanced that whilst they were at tea, a creditor of Sam's came to the door, one Jonas Badger.
kettlenounUS /ˈketəl/
a metal pot for stewing or boiling; usually has a lid
From this reading The kettle went on singing, the minutes went on flitting, and still nobody came.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Had the two been asked the time, they might have said it was about a quarter-past five.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading The kettle went on singing, the minutes went on flitting, and still nobody came.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Six o'clock struck out from the cathedral as Mr. Parslet entered.
no person; not anyone
From this reading The kettle went on singing, the minutes went on flitting, and still nobody came.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now it chanced that whilst they were at tea, a creditor of Sam's came to the door, one Jonas Badger.
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/
according to the clock
From this reading Six o'clock struck out from the cathedral as Mr. Parslet entered.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Now it chanced that whilst they were at tea, a creditor of Sam's came to the door, one Jonas Badger.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The kettle went on singing, the minutes went on flitting, and still nobody came.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Now it chanced that whilst they were at tea, a creditor of Sam's came to the door, one Jonas Badger.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Six o'clock struck out from the cathedral as Mr. Parslet entered.
Parslet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Six o'clock struck out from the cathedral as Mr. Parslet entered.
quarter-past
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Had the two been asked the time, they might have said it was about a quarter-past five.
with speed
From this reading Golden hours fly quickly; fly on angels' wings.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Had the two been asked the time, they might have said it was about a quarter-past five.
Sam'snounUS /sæmz/
possessive form of “sam” — a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading Now it chanced that whilst they were at tea, a creditor of Sam's came to the door, one Jonas Badger.
the act of singing vocal music
From this reading The kettle went on singing, the minutes went on flitting, and still nobody came.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading Six o'clock struck out from the cathedral as Mr. Parslet entered.
not in physical motion
From this reading The kettle went on singing, the minutes went on flitting, and still nobody came.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading Six o'clock struck out from the cathedral as Mr. Parslet entered.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading Now it chanced that whilst they were at tea, a creditor of Sam's came to the door, one Jonas Badger.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Now it chanced that whilst they were at tea, a creditor of Sam's came to the door, one Jonas Badger.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The kettle went on singing, the minutes went on flitting, and still nobody came.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Had the two been asked the time, they might have said it was about a quarter-past five.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Had the two been asked the time, they might have said it was about a quarter-past five.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now it chanced that whilst they were at tea, a creditor of Sam's came to the door, one Jonas Badger.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Had the two been asked the time, they might have said it was about a quarter-past five.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Had the two been asked the time, they might have said it was about a quarter-past five.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The kettle went on singing, the minutes went on flitting, and still nobody came.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Now it chanced that whilst they were at tea, a creditor of Sam's came to the door, one Jonas Badger.
an old and formal word for “while”
From this reading Now it chanced that whilst they were at tea, a creditor of Sam's came to the door, one Jonas Badger.
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading Golden hours fly quickly; fly on angels' wings.
