used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
achieveverbUS /əˈtʃiːv/
to gain with effort
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
(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 Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
attendancenounUS /əˈtendəns/
the act of being present (at a meeting or event etc.)
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
barbernounUS /ˈbɑːrbər/
United States composer (1910-1981)
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
a youthful male person
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading THE MOUSE BUSINESS.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
chargedadjectiveUS /tʃɑːrdʒd/
of a particle or body or system; having a net amount of positive or negative electric charge
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
comparative of “easy” — posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
constituting the full quantity or extent; complete
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
expensesnounUS /ɪkˈspensəz/
plural of “expense” — amounts paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as opposed to capital expenditures)
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
a social unit living together
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
a young female
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
invalidnounUS /ˈɪnvələd/
someone who is incapacitated by a chronic illness or injury
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
LeonounUS /ˈliːoʊ/
(astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Leo
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
Maggie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
Maggimore
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
medicaladjectiveUS /ˈmedəkəl/
relating to the study or practice of medicine
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
MOUSEnounUS /maʊs/
any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tails
From this reading THE MOUSE BUSINESS.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
not any; not one
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
nursingnounUS /ˈnɜːrsɪŋ/
the work of caring for the sick or injured or infirm
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
a human being
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
providingverbUS /prəˈvaɪdɪŋ/
-ing form of “provide” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
carry out
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MOUSE BUSINESS.
a special situation
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Each had assumed all that one person could be expected to achieve.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was no small thing for a girl of fifteen to take the entire care of a helpless invalid; and it was no small thing for a boy of fifteen to take upon himself the task of providing for the expenses of the house, and the medical attendance of the sick man.
WhileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
in the company of; together with
From this reading While Maggie Maggimore took upon herself the blessed task of nursing the barber, Leo charged himself with the duty of providing for the wants of the family.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would have been much easier for Leo to fail in his assumed task than for Maggie to do so.
