used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
(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 The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading He told him he would have a happy life; that he had always regretted he had not been a farmer himself.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading BEN BUYS ELM ISLAND.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading He commended Ben; told him he knew Sally’s father (that he had sailed for him), and her mother, too; she was of good blood; there was a great deal in the blood.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
the two together, not just one
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
a youthful male person
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
BUYSnounUS /baɪz/
plural of “buy” — an advantageous purchase
From this reading BEN BUYS ELM ISLAND.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
commendedverbUS /kəˈmendɪd/
past form of “commend” — express approval of
From this reading He commended Ben; told him he knew Sally’s father (that he had sailed for him), and her mother, too; she was of good blood; there was a great deal in the blood.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading He commended Ben; told him he knew Sally’s father (that he had sailed for him), and her mother, too; she was of good blood; there was a great deal in the blood.
earnedadjectiveUS /ɜːrnd/
gained or acquired; especially through merit or as a result of effort or action
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
ELMnounUS /elm/
any of various trees of the genus Ulmus: important timber or shade trees
From this reading BEN BUYS ELM ISLAND.
a person who operates a farm
From this reading He told him he would have a happy life; that he had always regretted he had not been a farmer himself.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading He commended Ben; told him he knew Sally’s father (that he had sailed for him), and her mother, too; she was of good blood; there was a great deal in the blood.
father'snounUS /ˈfɑːðərz/
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading He commended Ben; told him he knew Sally’s father (that he had sailed for him), and her mother, too; she was of good blood; there was a great deal in the blood.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading He told him he would have a happy life; that he had always regretted he had not been a farmer himself.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He told him he would have a happy life; that he had always regretted he had not been a farmer himself.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He commended Ben; told him he knew Sally’s father (that he had sailed for him), and her mother, too; she was of good blood; there was a great deal in the blood.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He commended Ben; told him he knew Sally’s father (that he had sailed for him), and her mother, too; she was of good blood; there was a great deal in the blood.
industrynounUS /ˈɪndəstri/
the people or companies engaged in a particular kind of commercial enterprise
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading BEN BUYS ELM ISLAND.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading He told him he would have a happy life; that he had always regretted he had not been a farmer himself.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
merchantnounUS /ˈmɜːr.tʃənt/
A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading He commended Ben; told him he knew Sally’s father (that he had sailed for him), and her mother, too; she was of good blood; there was a great deal in the blood.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He told him he would have a happy life; that he had always regretted he had not been a farmer himself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
many times at short intervals
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
regrettedverbUS /rɪˈɡretɪd/
inflected form of “regret” — feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading He told him he would have a happy life; that he had always regretted he had not been a farmer himself.
past form of “sail” — traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading He commended Ben; told him he knew Sally’s father (that he had sailed for him), and her mother, too; she was of good blood; there was a great deal in the blood.
witty remark
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
Sally'snounUS /ˈsæliz/
possessive form of “sally” — witty remark
From this reading He commended Ben; told him he knew Sally’s father (that he had sailed for him), and her mother, too; she was of good blood; there was a great deal in the blood.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He commended Ben; told him he knew Sally’s father (that he had sailed for him), and her mother, too; she was of good blood; there was a great deal in the blood.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He commended Ben; told him he knew Sally’s father (that he had sailed for him), and her mother, too; she was of good blood; there was a great deal in the blood.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
a numerical quantity measured or assigned or computed
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
precisely as stated
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
visitsnounUS /ˈvɪzɪts/
plural of “visit” — the act of going to see some person or place or thing for a short time
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
the state of being rich and affluent; having a plentiful supply of material goods and money
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
(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 Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
at the time that
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
which person or people
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ben went to Boston to see the old merchant, whom he knew very well, having often seen him at his father’s when he was on his summer visits.
having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading The good merchant, who had been a poor boy, and earned his property by his own industry, and was both too wise and too good to value himself by his wealth, received Ben so kindly, that he told him all his heart; what he wanted the island for, of the promise he had made to Sally, and all about it.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He told him he would have a happy life; that he had always regretted he had not been a farmer himself.
