used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Over against the windows was the playground of the church schools, surrounded by a high wall that shut away field and sky from the front rooms of Wistaria Terrace.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading They presented an exterior of three windows and a narrow round-topped hall-door which was a confession of poverty in itself.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Over against the windows was the playground of the church schools, surrounded by a high wall that shut away field and sky from the front rooms of Wistaria Terrace.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The roadway in front of the houses led only to the back entrance of the church.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
brought into existence
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Over against the windows was the playground of the church schools, surrounded by a high wall that shut away field and sky from the front rooms of Wistaria Terrace.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading They presented an exterior of three windows and a narrow round-topped hall-door which was a confession of poverty in itself.
drabadjectiveUS /dræb/
lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
From this reading The houses were drab and ugly, with untidy grass-plots in front.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading The roadway in front of the houses led only to the back entrance of the church.
exteriornounUS /ɪkˈstɪriər/
the region that is outside of something
From this reading They presented an exterior of three windows and a narrow round-topped hall-door which was a confession of poverty in itself.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading Over against the windows was the playground of the church schools, surrounded by a high wall that shut away field and sky from the front rooms of Wistaria Terrace.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Over against the windows was the playground of the church schools, surrounded by a high wall that shut away field and sky from the front rooms of Wistaria Terrace.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading The roadway in front of the houses led only to the back entrance of the church.
grass-plots
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The houses were drab and ugly, with untidy grass-plots in front.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
hall-door
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They presented an exterior of three windows and a narrow round-topped hall-door which was a confession of poverty in itself.
inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Over against the windows was the playground of the church schools, surrounded by a high wall that shut away field and sky from the front rooms of Wistaria Terrace.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The roadway in front of the houses led only to the back entrance of the church.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading They presented an exterior of three windows and a narrow round-topped hall-door which was a confession of poverty in itself.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading The roadway in front of the houses led only to the back entrance of the church.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading They presented an exterior of three windows and a narrow round-topped hall-door which was a confession of poverty in itself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
and nothing more
From this reading The roadway in front of the houses led only to the back entrance of the church.
OverprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Over against the windows was the playground of the church schools, surrounded by a high wall that shut away field and sky from the front rooms of Wistaria Terrace.
playgroundnounUS /ˈpleɪɡraʊnd/
an area where many people go for recreation
From this reading Over against the windows was the playground of the church schools, surrounded by a high wall that shut away field and sky from the front rooms of Wistaria Terrace.
the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions
From this reading They presented an exterior of three windows and a narrow round-topped hall-door which was a confession of poverty in itself.
past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading They presented an exterior of three windows and a narrow round-topped hall-door which was a confession of poverty in itself.
roadwaynounUS /ˈroʊdweɪ/
a road (especially that part of a road) over which vehicles travel
From this reading The roadway in front of the houses led only to the back entrance of the church.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading Over against the windows was the playground of the church schools, surrounded by a high wall that shut away field and sky from the front rooms of Wistaria Terrace.
round-topped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They presented an exterior of three windows and a narrow round-topped hall-door which was a confession of poverty in itself.
schoolsnounUS /skuːlz/
plural of “school” — an educational institution
From this reading Over against the windows was the playground of the church schools, surrounded by a high wall that shut away field and sky from the front rooms of Wistaria Terrace.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading Over against the windows was the playground of the church schools, surrounded by a high wall that shut away field and sky from the front rooms of Wistaria Terrace.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Over against the windows was the playground of the church schools, surrounded by a high wall that shut away field and sky from the front rooms of Wistaria Terrace.
squatverbUS /skwɑːt/
sit on one's heels
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
confined on all sides
From this reading Over against the windows was the playground of the church schools, surrounded by a high wall that shut away field and sky from the front rooms of Wistaria Terrace.
TerracenounUS /ˈterəs/
usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence
From this reading Over against the windows was the playground of the church schools, surrounded by a high wall that shut away field and sky from the front rooms of Wistaria Terrace.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They presented an exterior of three windows and a narrow round-topped hall-door which was a confession of poverty in itself.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading They presented an exterior of three windows and a narrow round-topped hall-door which was a confession of poverty in itself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The roadway in front of the houses led only to the back entrance of the church.
in the direction of
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
displeasing to the senses
From this reading The houses were drab and ugly, with untidy grass-plots in front.
untidyadjectiveUS /ənˈtaɪdi/
not neat and tidy
From this reading The houses were drab and ugly, with untidy grass-plots in front.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Over against the windows was the playground of the church schools, surrounded by a high wall that shut away field and sky from the front rooms of Wistaria Terrace.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The houses were drab and ugly, with untidy grass-plots in front.
in or at the place that
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading They presented an exterior of three windows and a narrow round-topped hall-door which was a confession of poverty in itself.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading Over against the windows was the playground of the church schools, surrounded by a high wall that shut away field and sky from the front rooms of Wistaria Terrace.
Wistarianoun
any flowering vine of the genus Wisteria
From this reading Over against the windows was the playground of the church schools, surrounded by a high wall that shut away field and sky from the front rooms of Wistaria Terrace.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The houses were drab and ugly, with untidy grass-plots in front.
womanhoodnounUS /ˈwʊmənhʊd/
the state of being an adult woman
From this reading The house where Mary Gray was born and grew towards womanhood was one of a squat line of mean little houses that hid themselves behind a great church.
