used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Tom Chandler let us go on, remaining behind for a minute or two.
abilitynounUS /əˈbɪlətiː/
the quality of being able to perform; a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment
From this reading Stephenson answered the questions to the best of his ability and recollection.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He wanted to put quietly a few questions about the appearance of the young man who had changed the note.
(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 also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
in addition
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading Stephenson answered the questions to the best of his ability and recollection.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading He wanted to put quietly a few questions about the appearance of the young man who had changed the note.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Tom Chandler let us go on, remaining behind for a minute or two.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading Stephenson answered the questions to the best of his ability and recollection.
buyingnounUS /ˈbaɪɪŋ/
the act of buying
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
ChandlernounUS /ˈtʃændlər/
United States writer of detective thrillers featuring the character of Philip Marlowe (1888-1959)
From this reading Tom Chandler let us go on, remaining behind for a minute or two.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading He wanted to put quietly a few questions about the appearance of the young man who had changed the note.
a statement that represents something in words
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
past form of “examine” — consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading He wanted to put quietly a few questions about the appearance of the young man who had changed the note.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Tom Chandler let us go on, remaining behind for a minute or two.
set up or found
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Tom Chandler let us go on, remaining behind for a minute or two.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He wanted to put quietly a few questions about the appearance of the young man who had changed the note.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He wanted to put quietly a few questions about the appearance of the young man who had changed the note.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Stephenson answered the questions to the best of his ability and recollection.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Tom Chandler let us go on, remaining behind for a minute or two.
MacEveril
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He wanted to put quietly a few questions about the appearance of the young man who had changed the note.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading Tom Chandler let us go on, remaining behind for a minute or two.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
a brief written record
From this reading He wanted to put quietly a few questions about the appearance of the young man who had changed the note.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He wanted to put quietly a few questions about the appearance of the young man who had changed the note.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Tom Chandler let us go on, remaining behind for a minute or two.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Tom Chandler let us go on, remaining behind for a minute or two.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
pencilsnounUS /ˈpensəlz/
plural of “pencil” — a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
preciselyadverbUS /prɪˈsaɪsli/
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He wanted to put quietly a few questions about the appearance of the young man who had changed the note.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading He wanted to put quietly a few questions about the appearance of the young man who had changed the note.
with low volume
From this reading He wanted to put quietly a few questions about the appearance of the young man who had changed the note.
recollectionnounUS /ˌrekəˈlekʃən/
the ability to recall past occurrences
From this reading Stephenson answered the questions to the best of his ability and recollection.
not used up
From this reading Tom Chandler let us go on, remaining behind for a minute or two.
Richard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
silver-gilt
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
marked by correspondence or resemblance
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
disposed of to a purchaser
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
StephensonnounUS /ˈstiːvənsən/
English railway pioneer who built the first passenger railway in 1825 (1781-1848)
From this reading Stephenson answered the questions to the best of his ability and recollection.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He wanted to put quietly a few questions about the appearance of the young man who had changed the note.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He wanted to put quietly a few questions about the appearance of the young man who had changed the note.
male cat
From this reading Tom Chandler let us go on, remaining behind for a minute or two.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Tom Chandler let us go on, remaining behind for a minute or two.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Tom Chandler let us go on, remaining behind for a minute or two.
precisely as stated
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading He wanted to put quietly a few questions about the appearance of the young man who had changed the note.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He also examined the silver-gilt pencils, finally buying one which was precisely similar, stone and all, to the one which had been sold that other morning.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
which person or people
From this reading He wanted to put quietly a few questions about the appearance of the young man who had changed the note.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading And Tom Chandler found that while on some points the description would have served very well for that of Richard MacEveril, on other points it did not seem to fit in with it at all.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading He wanted to put quietly a few questions about the appearance of the young man who had changed the note.
