used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading It was a long low room with beams across the ceiling, and panelled walls; and there was no nicer room in the house on a sunny morning.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a long low room with beams across the ceiling, and panelled walls; and there was no nicer room in the house on a sunny morning.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The sun was shining into the breakfast room at Friars Court through the open windows.
backgroundnounUS /ˈbækɡraʊnd/
a person's social heritage: previous experience or training
From this reading The French windows were wide open and from them could be seen the trees in the Park beyond the garden, and the hills in the background.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The French windows were wide open and from them could be seen the trees in the Park beyond the garden, and the hills in the background.
beamsnounUS /biːmz/
plural of “beam” — a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
From this reading It was a long low room with beams across the ceiling, and panelled walls; and there was no nicer room in the house on a sunny morning.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading The French windows were wide open and from them could be seen the trees in the Park beyond the garden, and the hills in the background.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading The sun was shining into the breakfast room at Friars Court through the open windows.
ceilingnounUS /ˈsiːlɪŋ/
the overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading It was a long low room with beams across the ceiling, and panelled walls; and there was no nicer room in the house on a sunny morning.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The French windows were wide open and from them could be seen the trees in the Park beyond the garden, and the hills in the background.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading The sun was shining into the breakfast room at Friars Court through the open windows.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading The French windows were wide open and from them could be seen the trees in the Park beyond the garden, and the hills in the background.
FriarsnounUS /ˈfraɪərz/
plural of “friar” — a male member of a religious order that originally relied solely on alms
From this reading The sun was shining into the breakfast room at Friars Court through the open windows.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The French windows were wide open and from them could be seen the trees in the Park beyond the garden, and the hills in the background.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading The French windows were wide open and from them could be seen the trees in the Park beyond the garden, and the hills in the background.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading Sheila stood reading her letter with the morning sun shining on her pretty hair.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading The French windows were wide open and from them could be seen the trees in the Park beyond the garden, and the hills in the background.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading It was a long low room with beams across the ceiling, and panelled walls; and there was no nicer room in the house on a sunny morning.
an instinctive motive
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The sun was shining into the breakfast room at Friars Court through the open windows.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a long low room with beams across the ceiling, and panelled walls; and there was no nicer room in the house on a sunny morning.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading It was a long low room with beams across the ceiling, and panelled walls; and there was no nicer room in the house on a sunny morning.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading It was a long low room with beams across the ceiling, and panelled walls; and there was no nicer room in the house on a sunny morning.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It was a long low room with beams across the ceiling, and panelled walls; and there was no nicer room in the house on a sunny morning.
niceradjectiveUS /ˈnaɪsər/
comparative of “nice” — pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading It was a long low room with beams across the ceiling, and panelled walls; and there was no nicer room in the house on a sunny morning.
not any; not one
From this reading It was a long low room with beams across the ceiling, and panelled walls; and there was no nicer room in the house on a sunny morning.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was a long low room with beams across the ceiling, and panelled walls; and there was no nicer room in the house on a sunny morning.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading The sun was shining into the breakfast room at Friars Court through the open windows.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
panelled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a long low room with beams across the ceiling, and panelled walls; and there was no nicer room in the house on a sunny morning.
a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property
From this reading The French windows were wide open and from them could be seen the trees in the Park beyond the garden, and the hills in the background.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading Sheila stood reading her letter with the morning sun shining on her pretty hair.
with speed
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading Sheila stood reading her letter with the morning sun shining on her pretty hair.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The sun was shining into the breakfast room at Friars Court through the open windows.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The French windows were wide open and from them could be seen the trees in the Park beyond the garden, and the hills in the background.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
Sheila
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
marked by exceptional merit
From this reading The sun was shining into the breakfast room at Friars Court through the open windows.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Sheila stood reading her letter with the morning sun shining on her pretty hair.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The sun was shining into the breakfast room at Friars Court through the open windows.
sunnyadjectiveUS /ˈsʌni/
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading It was a long low room with beams across the ceiling, and panelled walls; and there was no nicer room in the house on a sunny morning.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The French windows were wide open and from them could be seen the trees in the Park beyond the garden, and the hills in the background.
in or at that place or location
From this reading It was a long low room with beams across the ceiling, and panelled walls; and there was no nicer room in the house on a sunny morning.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A CREATURE OF IMPULSE "THEY are coming," exclaimed Sheila as she glanced quickly over the letter in her hand.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The sun was shining into the breakfast room at Friars Court through the open windows.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The French windows were wide open and from them could be seen the trees in the Park beyond the garden, and the hills in the background.
plural of “wall” — 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 It was a long low room with beams across the ceiling, and panelled walls; and there was no nicer room in the house on a sunny morning.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The sun was shining into the breakfast room at Friars Court through the open windows.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The French windows were wide open and from them could be seen the trees in the Park beyond the garden, and the hills in the background.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The French windows were wide open and from them could be seen the trees in the Park beyond the garden, and the hills in the background.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading The sun was shining into the breakfast room at Friars Court through the open windows.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was a long low room with beams across the ceiling, and panelled walls; and there was no nicer room in the house on a sunny morning.
