used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading “We were on our way to Jacksonville to surprise you,” they said; and when he explained what had brought him to New York, they agreed with him that it was very strange.
(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 None had been sent, and the book was going on all right.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading None had been sent, and the book was going on all right.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading Norman de Vere had two surprises when he arrived at New York.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Norman de Vere had two surprises when he arrived at New York.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading None had been sent, and the book was going on all right.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The second was that he met at his hotel Lord Stuart and his sister, who had arrived only the day before from England.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “We were on our way to Jacksonville to surprise you,” they said; and when he explained what had brought him to New York, they agreed with him that it was very strange.
conferencenounUS /ˈkɑːnfərəns/
a prearranged meeting for consultation or exchange of information or discussion (especially one with a formal agenda)
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The second was that he met at his hotel Lord Stuart and his sister, who had arrived only the day before from England.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading Norman de Vere had two surprises when he arrived at New York.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading The second was that he met at his hotel Lord Stuart and his sister, who had arrived only the day before from England.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “We were on our way to Jacksonville to surprise you,” they said; and when he explained what had brought him to New York, they agreed with him that it was very strange.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
set up or found
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The second was that he met at his hotel Lord Stuart and his sister, who had arrived only the day before from England.
the act of departing
From this reading None had been sent, and the book was going on all right.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Norman de Vere had two surprises when he arrived at New York.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Norman de Vere had two surprises when he arrived at New York.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading The second was that he met at his hotel Lord Stuart and his sister, who had arrived only the day before from England.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “We were on our way to Jacksonville to surprise you,” they said; and when he explained what had brought him to New York, they agreed with him that it was very strange.
JacksonvillenounUS /ˈdʒæksənvɪl/
Florida's largest city; a port and important commercial center in northeastern Florida
From this reading “We were on our way to Jacksonville to surprise you,” they said; and when he explained what had brought him to New York, they agreed with him that it was very strange.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading The second was that he met at his hotel Lord Stuart and his sister, who had arrived only the day before from England.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading The second was that he met at his hotel Lord Stuart and his sister, who had arrived only the day before from England.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Norman de Vere had two surprises when he arrived at New York.
not one, and not any
From this reading None had been sent, and the book was going on all right.
NormannounUS /ˈnɔːrmən/
United States operatic soprano (born in 1945)
From this reading Norman de Vere had two surprises when he arrived at New York.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading None had been sent, and the book was going on all right.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
and nothing more
From this reading The second was that he met at his hotel Lord Stuart and his sister, who had arrived only the day before from England.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “We were on our way to Jacksonville to surprise you,” they said; and when he explained what had brought him to New York, they agreed with him that it was very strange.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
publishernounUS /ˈpʌblɪʃər/
a firm in the publishing business
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
precisely, exactly
From this reading None had been sent, and the book was going on all right.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “We were on our way to Jacksonville to surprise you,” they said; and when he explained what had brought him to New York, they agreed with him that it was very strange.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The second was that he met at his hotel Lord Stuart and his sister, who had arrived only the day before from England.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading None had been sent, and the book was going on all right.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading The second was that he met at his hotel Lord Stuart and his sister, who had arrived only the day before from England.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading “We were on our way to Jacksonville to surprise you,” they said; and when he explained what had brought him to New York, they agreed with him that it was very strange.
StuartnounUS /ˈstuːərt/
United States painter best known for his portraits of George Washington (1755-1828)
From this reading The second was that he met at his hotel Lord Stuart and his sister, who had arrived only the day before from England.
summoningnounUS /ˈsʌmənɪŋ/
calling up supposed supernatural forces by spells and incantations
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “We were on our way to Jacksonville to surprise you,” they said; and when he explained what had brought him to New York, they agreed with him that it was very strange.
surprisesnounUS /sərˈpraɪzɪz/
plural of “surprise” — the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading Norman de Vere had two surprises when he arrived at New York.
telegramnounUS /ˈteləɡræm/
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “We were on our way to Jacksonville to surprise you,” they said; and when he explained what had brought him to New York, they agreed with him that it was very strange.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Norman de Vere had two surprises when he arrived at New York.
unexplainableadjectiveUS /ˌʌnɪkˈspleɪnəbəl/
not to be accounted for or explained
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
Vere
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Norman de Vere had two surprises when he arrived at New York.
precisely as stated
From this reading “We were on our way to Jacksonville to surprise you,” they said; and when he explained what had brought him to New York, they agreed with him that it was very strange.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “We were on our way to Jacksonville to surprise you,” they said; and when he explained what had brought him to New York, they agreed with him that it was very strange.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We were on our way to Jacksonville to surprise you,” they said; and when he explained what had brought him to New York, they agreed with him that it was very strange.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “We were on our way to Jacksonville to surprise you,” they said; and when he explained what had brought him to New York, they agreed with him that it was very strange.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “We were on our way to Jacksonville to surprise you,” they said; and when he explained what had brought him to New York, they agreed with him that it was very strange.
at the time that
From this reading Norman de Vere had two surprises when he arrived at New York.
which person or people
From this reading The second was that he met at his hotel Lord Stuart and his sister, who had arrived only the day before from England.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The first one was that he found out that there was an unexplainable mystery about the telegram he had received summoning him to a conference with his publisher over his new book.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading Norman de Vere had two surprises when he arrived at New York.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “We were on our way to Jacksonville to surprise you,” they said; and when he explained what had brought him to New York, they agreed with him that it was very strange.
