used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
(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 First of all, the graphite is ground and ground and ground, until, if you take a pinch of it between your thumb and finger, you can hardly feel that anything is there.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When graphite was first used for pencils, it was cut into slabs and these slabs into small strips.
any thing at all
From this reading First of all, the graphite is ground and ground and ground, until, if you take a pinch of it between your thumb and finger, you can hardly feel that anything is there.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The broken and powdered graphite was not used until it was discovered that it could be mixed with clay and so made into sticks.
third-person singular of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading It is now sifted through fine silk and mixed with water and finely powdered clay, and becomes a wet, inky mass.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading First of all, the graphite is ground and ground and ground, until, if you take a pinch of it between your thumb and finger, you can hardly feel that anything is there.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading The broken and powdered graphite was not used until it was discovered that it could be mixed with clay and so made into sticks.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading First of all, the graphite is ground and ground and ground, until, if you take a pinch of it between your thumb and finger, you can hardly feel that anything is there.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
claynounUS /kleɪ/
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading The broken and powdered graphite was not used until it was discovered that it could be mixed with clay and so made into sticks.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The broken and powdered graphite was not used until it was discovered that it could be mixed with clay and so made into sticks.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading When graphite was first used for pencils, it was cut into slabs and these slabs into small strips.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading The broken and powdered graphite was not used until it was discovered that it could be mixed with clay and so made into sticks.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading First of all, the graphite is ground and ground and ground, until, if you take a pinch of it between your thumb and finger, you can hardly feel that anything is there.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading It is now sifted through fine silk and mixed with water and finely powdered clay, and becomes a wet, inky mass.
finelyadverbUS /ˈfaɪnli/
in tiny pieces
From this reading It is now sifted through fine silk and mixed with water and finely powdered clay, and becomes a wet, inky mass.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading First of all, the graphite is ground and ground and ground, until, if you take a pinch of it between your thumb and finger, you can hardly feel that anything is there.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading When graphite was first used for pencils, it was cut into slabs and these slabs into small strips.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading When graphite was first used for pencils, it was cut into slabs and these slabs into small strips.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
graphitenounUS /ˈɡræfaɪt/
used as a lubricant and as a moderator in nuclear reactors
From this reading When graphite was first used for pencils, it was cut into slabs and these slabs into small strips.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading First of all, the graphite is ground and ground and ground, until, if you take a pinch of it between your thumb and finger, you can hardly feel that anything is there.
only a very short time before
From this reading First of all, the graphite is ground and ground and ground, until, if you take a pinch of it between your thumb and finger, you can hardly feel that anything is there.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
inkyadjectiveUS /ˈɪŋki/
of the color of black ink
From this reading It is now sifted through fine silk and mixed with water and finely powdered clay, and becomes a wet, inky mass.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading When graphite was first used for pencils, it was cut into slabs and these slabs into small strips.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading First of all, the graphite is ground and ground and ground, until, if you take a pinch of it between your thumb and finger, you can hardly feel that anything is there.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When graphite was first used for pencils, it was cut into slabs and these slabs into small strips.
take somebody somewhere
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The broken and powdered graphite was not used until it was discovered that it could be mixed with clay and so made into sticks.
manufacturedadjectiveUS /ˌmænjəˈfæktʃərd/
produced in a large-scale industrial operation
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
From this reading It is now sifted through fine silk and mixed with water and finely powdered clay, and becomes a wet, inky mass.
consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
From this reading The broken and powdered graphite was not used until it was discovered that it could be mixed with clay and so made into sticks.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The broken and powdered graphite was not used until it was discovered that it could be mixed with clay and so made into sticks.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It is now sifted through fine silk and mixed with water and finely powdered clay, and becomes a wet, inky mass.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
and nothing more
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
pencilnounUS /ˈpensəl/
a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
pencilsnounUS /ˈpensəlz/
plural of “pencil” — a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood
From this reading When graphite was first used for pencils, it was cut into slabs and these slabs into small strips.
pinchverbUS /pɪntʃ/
squeeze tightly between the fingers
From this reading First of all, the graphite is ground and ground and ground, until, if you take a pinch of it between your thumb and finger, you can hardly feel that anything is there.
powderedadjectiveUS /ˈpaʊdərd/
consisting of fine particles
From this reading The broken and powdered graphite was not used until it was discovered that it could be mixed with clay and so made into sticks.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
siftedverbUS /ˈsɪftɪd/
past form of “sift” — move as if through a sieve
From this reading It is now sifted through fine silk and mixed with water and finely powdered clay, and becomes a wet, inky mass.
a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae
From this reading It is now sifted through fine silk and mixed with water and finely powdered clay, and becomes a wet, inky mass.
slabsnounUS /slæbz/
plural of “slab” — block consisting of a thick piece of something
From this reading When graphite was first used for pencils, it was cut into slabs and these slabs into small strips.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading When graphite was first used for pencils, it was cut into slabs and these slabs into small strips.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The broken and powdered graphite was not used until it was discovered that it could be mixed with clay and so made into sticks.
sticksnounUS /stɪks/
plural of “stick” — an implement consisting of a length of wood
From this reading The broken and powdered graphite was not used until it was discovered that it could be mixed with clay and so made into sticks.
stripsnounUS /strɪps/
plural of “strip” — a relatively long narrow piece of something
From this reading When graphite was first used for pencils, it was cut into slabs and these slabs into small strips.
substancesnounUS /ˈsʌbstənsəz/
plural of “substance” — the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
carry out
From this reading First of all, the graphite is ground and ground and ground, until, if you take a pinch of it between your thumb and finger, you can hardly feel that anything is there.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The broken and powdered graphite was not used until it was discovered that it could be mixed with clay and so made into sticks.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The broken and powdered graphite was not used until it was discovered that it could be mixed with clay and so made into sticks.
in or at that place or location
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading When graphite was first used for pencils, it was cut into slabs and these slabs into small strips.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading It is now sifted through fine silk and mixed with water and finely powdered clay, and becomes a wet, inky mass.
thumbnounUS /θʌm/
the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb
From this reading First of all, the graphite is ground and ground and ground, until, if you take a pinch of it between your thumb and finger, you can hardly feel that anything is there.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading The broken and powdered graphite was not used until it was discovered that it could be mixed with clay and so made into sticks.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading When graphite was first used for pencils, it was cut into slabs and these slabs into small strips.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When graphite was first used for pencils, it was cut into slabs and these slabs into small strips.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading It is now sifted through fine silk and mixed with water and finely powdered clay, and becomes a wet, inky mass.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading It is now sifted through fine silk and mixed with water and finely powdered clay, and becomes a wet, inky mass.
at the time that
From this reading When graphite was first used for pencils, it was cut into slabs and these slabs into small strips.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The broken and powdered graphite was not used until it was discovered that it could be mixed with clay and so made into sticks.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading In a lead pencil there are only three substances, graphite, clay, and wood, but a really good one must be manufactured with as much care as if it were made up of twenty.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading First of all, the graphite is ground and ground and ground, until, if you take a pinch of it between your thumb and finger, you can hardly feel that anything is there.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading First of all, the graphite is ground and ground and ground, until, if you take a pinch of it between your thumb and finger, you can hardly feel that anything is there.
