used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared, and over everything there fell a blank dismay.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared, and over everything there fell a blank dismay.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared, and over everything there fell a blank dismay.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared, and over everything there fell a blank dismay.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The joy of living withered as at a curse.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
blankadjectiveUS /blæŋk/
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared, and over everything there fell a blank dismay.
caressnounUS /kərˈes/
a gentle affectionate stroking (or something resembling it)
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
chilledverbUS /tʃɪld/
past form of “chill” — depress or discourage
From this reading Laughter was chilled.
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading The joy of living withered as at a curse.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading The light died from the streets.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared, and over everything there fell a blank dismay.
dismaynounUS /dɪˈsmeɪ/
the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
From this reading Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared, and over everything there fell a blank dismay.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared, and over everything there fell a blank dismay.
exquisitelyadverbUS /ˌekˈskwɪzɪtli/
in a delicate manner
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared, and over everything there fell a blank dismay.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The light died from the streets.
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading The joy of living withered as at a curse.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Laughter was chilled.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The light died from the streets.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading The joy of living withered as at a curse.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The joy of living withered as at a curse.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared, and over everything there fell a blank dismay.
having or expressing strong emotions
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
in an aggressive manner
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared, and over everything there fell a blank dismay.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading The light died from the streets.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared, and over everything there fell a blank dismay.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The light died from the streets.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared, and over everything there fell a blank dismay.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared, and over everything there fell a blank dismay.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Laughter was chilled.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
witheredadjectiveUS /ˈwɪðərd/
lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
From this reading The joy of living withered as at a curse.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Something tender and gay and passionate had been with us; something strange and exquisitely sweet was gone from us; and we grew sharply old and went about our work without any song or jest or caress.
