used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading It had been begun in the spring after he had graduated from college.
Alan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As I read, I found myself liking Uncle Alan, wishing that he might have lived and been my friend.
(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 entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading Although suspected only by himself, the disease which was to end his life had already fastened upon him.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Although suspected only by himself, the disease which was to end his life had already fastened upon him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As I read, I found myself liking Uncle Alan, wishing that he might have lived and been my friend.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It had been begun in the spring after he had graduated from college.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading It had been begun in the spring after he had graduated from college.
blighting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Although suspected only by himself, the disease which was to end his life had already fastened upon him.
the body of faculty and students of a college
From this reading It had been begun in the spring after he had graduated from college.
consolationnounUS /ˌkɑːnsəˈleɪʃən/
the comfort you feel when consoled in times of disappointment
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
diseasenounUS /dɪˈziːz/
an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning
From this reading Although suspected only by himself, the disease which was to end his life had already fastened upon him.
doomedadjectiveUS /duːmd/
marked for certain death
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Although suspected only by himself, the disease which was to end his life had already fastened upon him.
entriesnounUS /ˈentriz/
plural of “entry” — an item inserted in a written record
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
firmly closed or secured
From this reading Although suspected only by himself, the disease which was to end his life had already fastened upon him.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
set up or found
From this reading As I read, I found myself liking Uncle Alan, wishing that he might have lived and been my friend.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading As I read, I found myself liking Uncle Alan, wishing that he might have lived and been my friend.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It had been begun in the spring after he had graduated from college.
frostnounUS /frɔːst/
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
graduatedadjectiveUS /ˈɡrædʒuːeɪtɪd/
marked with or divided into degrees
From this reading It had been begun in the spring after he had graduated from college.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had been begun in the spring after he had graduated from college.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading As I read, I found myself liking Uncle Alan, wishing that he might have lived and been my friend.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It had been begun in the spring after he had graduated from college.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Although suspected only by himself, the disease which was to end his life had already fastened upon him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Although suspected only by himself, the disease which was to end his life had already fastened upon him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Although suspected only by himself, the disease which was to end his life had already fastened upon him.
plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading As I read, I found myself liking Uncle Alan, wishing that he might have lived and been my friend.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It had been begun in the spring after he had graduated from college.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had been begun in the spring after he had graduated from college.
journalnounUS /ˈdʒɜːrnəl/
a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Although suspected only by himself, the disease which was to end his life had already fastened upon him.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
likingnounUS /ˈlaɪkɪŋ/
a feeling of pleasure and enjoyment
From this reading As I read, I found myself liking Uncle Alan, wishing that he might have lived and been my friend.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading As I read, I found myself liking Uncle Alan, wishing that he might have lived and been my friend.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading As I read, I found myself liking Uncle Alan, wishing that he might have lived and been my friend.
morbidadjectiveUS /ˈmɔːrbəd/
suggesting an unhealthy mental state
From this reading There was nothing morbid, nothing unmanly in the record.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading As I read, I found myself liking Uncle Alan, wishing that he might have lived and been my friend.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading As I read, I found myself liking Uncle Alan, wishing that he might have lived and been my friend.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading There was nothing morbid, nothing unmanly in the record.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
and nothing more
From this reading Although suspected only by himself, the disease which was to end his life had already fastened upon him.
outwardadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtwərd/
relating to physical reality rather than with thoughts or the mind
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
promisesnounUS /ˈprɑːməsəz/
plural of “promise” — a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading As I read, I found myself liking Uncle Alan, wishing that he might have lived and been my friend.
anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
From this reading There was nothing morbid, nothing unmanly in the record.
seeksnounUS /siːks/
plural of “seek” — the movement of a read/write head to a specific data track on a disk
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
self-communing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
the season of growth
From this reading It had been begun in the spring after he had graduated from college.
believed likely
From this reading Although suspected only by himself, the disease which was to end his life had already fastened upon him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading As I read, I found myself liking Uncle Alan, wishing that he might have lived and been my friend.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It had been begun in the spring after he had graduated from college.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was nothing morbid, nothing unmanly in the record.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Although suspected only by himself, the disease which was to end his life had already fastened upon him.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading As I read, I found myself liking Uncle Alan, wishing that he might have lived and been my friend.
unmanlyadjective
not possessing qualities befitting a man
From this reading There was nothing morbid, nothing unmanly in the record.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Although suspected only by himself, the disease which was to end his life had already fastened upon him.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Although suspected only by himself, the disease which was to end his life had already fastened upon him.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Although suspected only by himself, the disease which was to end his life had already fastened upon him.
which person or people
From this reading The entries were those of a doomed man, who, feeling the curse fall on him like a frost, blighting all the fair hopes and promises of life, seeks some help and consolation in the outward self-communing of a journal.
wishingnounUS /ˈwɪʃɪŋ/
a specific feeling of desire
From this reading As I read, I found myself liking Uncle Alan, wishing that he might have lived and been my friend.
