used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The door was opened by a comely woman of middle age, who, not recognizing Mark, looked at him inquiringly.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
how long something has existed
From this reading The door was opened by a comely woman of middle age, who, not recognizing Mark, looked at him inquiringly.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What can I do for you?" she asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "What can I do for you?" she asked.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
comelyadjectiveUS /ˈkʌmli/
according with custom or propriety
From this reading The door was opened by a comely woman of middle age, who, not recognizing Mark, looked at him inquiringly.
a small house with a single story
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
(often used in combination) having a specified direction
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What can I do for you?" she asked.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
FinnnounUS /fɪn/
a native or inhabitant of Finland
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "What can I do for you?" she asked.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The door was opened by a comely woman of middle age, who, not recognizing Mark, looked at him inquiringly.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "My name is Mark Manning," said Mark, introducing himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "What can I do for you?" she asked.
a message received and understood
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
inquiringlyadverb
in an inquiring manner
From this reading The door was opened by a comely woman of middle age, who, not recognizing Mark, looked at him inquiringly.
discontinued temporarily
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
introducingverbUS /ˌɪntrəˈduːsɪŋ/
-ing form of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally
From this reading "My name is Mark Manning," said Mark, introducing himself.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "My name is Mark Manning," said Mark, introducing himself.
knockingnounUS /ˈnɑːkɪŋ/
the sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing)
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The door was opened by a comely woman of middle age, who, not recognizing Mark, looked at him inquiringly.
ManningverbUS /ˈmænɪŋ/
inflected form of “man” — take charge of a certain job; occupy a certain work place
From this reading "My name is Mark Manning," said Mark, introducing himself.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading The door was opened by a comely woman of middle age, who, not recognizing Mark, looked at him inquiringly.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My name is Mark Manning," said Mark, introducing himself.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "My name is Mark Manning," said Mark, introducing himself.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The door was opened by a comely woman of middle age, who, not recognizing Mark, looked at him inquiringly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading The door was opened by a comely woman of middle age, who, not recognizing Mark, looked at him inquiringly.
PresbyteriannounUS /ˌpresbɪˈtɪriən/
a follower of Calvinism as taught in the Presbyterian Church
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
RansomnounUS /ˈrænsəm/
money demanded for the return of a captured person
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
recognizingverbUS /ˈrekəɡnaɪzɪŋ/
-ing form of “recognize” — accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority
From this reading The door was opened by a comely woman of middle age, who, not recognizing Mark, looked at him inquiringly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "My name is Mark Manning," said Mark, introducing himself.
a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What can I do for you?" she asked.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AS the clock on the Presbyterian church struck nine, Mark stood knocking at the door of the little cottage hard by.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The door was opened by a comely woman of middle age, who, not recognizing Mark, looked at him inquiringly.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What can I do for you?" she asked.
which person or people
From this reading The door was opened by a comely woman of middle age, who, not recognizing Mark, looked at him inquiringly.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The door was opened by a comely woman of middle age, who, not recognizing Mark, looked at him inquiringly.
an affirmative
From this reading "I have been directed to you as likely to give me some information about Mrs. Ransom, who—" "Yes, yes," interrupted Mrs. Finn, not waiting for Mark to finish his sentence.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What can I do for you?" she asked.
